A Sweet Proposition
by sonomom
Summary: Stephanie has a problem, and Ranger has a solution. But will the solution just cause more problems?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Babe, You Have a Problem

My name is Stephanie Plum. I am a bond enforcement agent, more popularly known as a bounty hunter. It is important to say that I am not particularly good at my job, but what I lack in skill I make up for with pure dumb luck. I have a strange ability to show up at the right place at the right time and with the help of my friends, I have a pretty good track record of getting my FTA. It's also important to say that this luck does not extend to other areas of my life. Trips to the casino with my Grandma Mazur have shown that I'm not lucky with games of chance, and my present single status is a pretty good indicator that I'm not lucky in love.

Thinking about the men, or lack thereof, in my life is enough to send me right to the ice cream shop. A double dip of cookie dough will make any situation better. I have had an on again and off again relationship with the hottest cop in Trenton for a while now. About two months ago we decided to call it quits romantically and try for a platonic friendship. It seems the only thing we were consistently in agreement about was our love life. Outside the bedroom we didn't have that much in common. What went on inside the bedroom was pretty darn enjoyable for both of us. I have been eating a lot of ice cream lately. Joe Morelli was proving to be a good friend, and in fact he has shown up at my apartment door more than once lately with a pint of Ben and Jerry's in his hand. The thing is, although Joe is aware that I have increased my ice cream consumption, I have noticed that he isn't partaking of the same treat. I'm pretty sure my place in his bed has been filled, but I haven't asked and he hasn't offered any information. I value his friendship and I am really trying to respect his boundaries.

I don't want to be with Joe, but I'm not sure I am ready to know who is with him. My family is really not ready to know who is with him. During my formative teen years my mother was totally anti-Morelli. He was trouble for all Burg moms. His reputation as a bad boy dimmed as he aged and grew more respectable. After a stint in the navy he came back to the Burg and began a successful career in law enforcement. Now he was number one on my mom's list for prospective sons in law.

After Joe and I changed the focus of our relationship I began to think about the other man who is currently not in my life. Carlos Manoso, aka Ranger, was instrumental in my learning curve as a bounty hunter. He is the managing partner of a security firm in Trenton. When I started to work for Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, Connie Rossoli took pity on me and called in a favor from Ranger. He reluctantly helped train me in the fundamentals of FTA apprehension. He is more aware than anyone of the amount of luck involved in my captures. He has been with me from the beginning, and he knows how limited my bounty huntering skills are. Ranger is Cuban-American. He has movie star good looks and can literally stop conversation by walking into a room. He exudes power and dark sexuality that women are both drawn to and terrified of. I am no exception. Ranger has given me many indications that he would like me in his bed. A year or so ago during an off period with Morelli my desire for Ranger overcame my fear of him, and we spent an unforgettable night together. The next morning, Ranger was able to walk away seemingly unaffected by what we had shared. I am still reeling with the aftershocks. Ranger has always been upfront about his inability to commit to a relationship. I have always been the kind of girl who just can't do casual sex. I have some crazy self preservation instinct that has kept me out of Ranger's bed even now that I'm single. But lately, I have been thinking that there is a lot more to life than ice cream. My best friend Mary Lou says that men are like ice cream. If that's true then one night with Ranger proved that he has more flavors than Baskin Robbins!

I suppose it wouldn't be fair to not mention my ex-husband among the men I am no longer with. Dickie Orr and I were married for about a minute. The marriage ended shortly after I came home early from my previous job as a lingerie buyer to find Dickie polishing the dining room table with the ass of my arch enemy Joyce Barnhart. If Dickie was ice cream, I'd be lactose intolerant.

I had been laying on my bed in my thinking position when I came to the sudden conclusion that I needed a man…no more ice cream. The question was, did I pursue Ranger to whom I was ridiculously attracted and maybe even in love with, and whom I secretly thought was Mr. Right, or did I just go looking for a Mr. Right Now? The ringing of my phone caused my heart to skip a beat. The theme song from "Batman" alerted me that Ranger was calling.

"Yo," I said stealing his normal greeting.

"Babe. We need to talk."

"I'm listening."

"Not on the phone. I'll be over in a few minutes. "

Before he could disconnect I replied, "Bring food. I haven't eaten and I'm not in the mood for salad…or ice cream."

Twenty minutes later I heard the lock on my front door tumble. I had made good use of the time applying an extra coat of mascara and trying to tame the brown curly mop I had inherited from some unknown Hungarian ancestor. Ranger walked through the door and my breath caught in my throat. He'd been out of town on business and I hadn't seen him for several weeks. His black hair was slicked back into a ponytail. He was dressed entirely in black. He wore a windbreaker over a form fitting t-shirt and cargo pants that were tucked into utility boots. This was Ranger in SWAT mode. His jacket undoubtedly covered his shoulder holster and gun. I knew from previous experience that there would be a small knife sheathed inside his right boot. He crossed the room silently and held out a small brown bag.

"Meatball sub, Babe. No salad, no ice cream," Ranger said as he handed me the bag.

"Wow," I said, "you must want something big from me. You brought me real food. No sprouts."

Ranger looked me as he sat in my one good armchair. "Are you flirting with me Stephanie? That could be dangerous."

He was right. It could be dangerous to flirt with Ranger. If he was provoked he would act, and although the thought of Ranger and me was thrilling, it was also scary. His eyes slowly took in my baggy t-shirt and plaid pajama pants. I wasn't exactly dressed for seduction but from the way he was looking at me, I knew he was seeing me as I was that night so long ago. All I had to do was drop the Pino's bag and walk toward him, but I just couldn't take that first step. I sighed and opened the bag as I flopped down on the sofa.

The sandwich was hot and juicy and oozing marinara sauce from the bottom of the bun. I took a bite and licked the bread trying to save my shirt from the almost inevitable plop of tomatoey cheesy goo. I groaned in pleasure and mumbled "Yum!" I closed my eyes and licked my lips swallowing and savoring the play of flavors on my tongue. Suddenly, I became aware of the lack of noise from Ranger. I looked up to see him sitting quietly with forearms resting on the chair, his fingers steepled. His dark eyes were warm with amusement, and the corners of his mouth were barely tilted upwards. This was the Ranger equivalent of a full on smile.

"Glad to see you enjoying your food, Babe."

"Are you making fun of me?" I said between bites. "I haven't eaten all day and this is delicious."

"Is business slow? You should have talked to Tank while I was away. We can always use your help at Rangeman. You understand all the search engine programs and the opportunity for supplementing your income by doing searches and background checks is open to you always." I rolled my eyes and sighed. I knew I could call Tank when Ranger was out of town, but the thought of calling Tank was not a pleasant one. As Ranger's second in command, Tank was aptly named. He was big and strong and built…well, like a tank. He was a man of so few words that he made Ranger seem chatty in comparison.

"Business is not slow," I lied. "There are plenty of skips to be brought in. I've been so busy today I haven't had time to eat." I got up and crossed the room into the kitchen to dispose of my sub wrapper. I stood at the sink and washed my hands. A sudden shiver along my spine caused me to turn around and find myself up against Ranger.

"Oh!" I exclaimed. " You startled me. I didn't know you followed me in here." Ranger raised an eyebrow and continued to stare at me." We both knew that while it was true that he startled me it wasn't because I didn't hear him. Ranger and I sometimes seemed to have a sixth sense for recognizing each other's presence. His eyes never left mine. Slowly he brought his face closer to mine. His hands moved up to cup my face. He slid a finger to the corner of my mouth wiping off a small spot of marinara He touched his finger to his tongue and then gently touched his tongue to the edge of my mouth.

"You're right, it is delicious," he murmured. My knees buckled. The meatballs were dancing in my stomach. I leaned forward pressing myself against him. My earlier worries about not having a man in my life disappeared. I was milliseconds away from wrapping my arms around his neck and wrapping my legs around his pelvis.

Ranger stepped back and took my arm. "Come back in the living room, Babe. We have to talk. And it's serious." The warmth in his eyes disappeared to be replaced with an emotion that I couldn't identify. "When I got back into town last week," he began,

"Wait!" I interrupted, "You've been in town a week and you didn't let me know?" It was pretty clear to see where I sat on his priority list. "Thanks for the sandwich, Ranger. I'm sorry I have plans for the evening so you will have to leave now."

Tightening his grip on my arm he pulled me to the sofa and shoved me down. "When I got back into town last week," he repeated, "I received news that you are in a serious amount of trouble." He sighed and sat next to me on the sofa taking my hands in his. "Steph, there is a contract out on you."

I shook my head in confusion. "A contract? You mean someone wants to contract with me for work? Some kind of a job?"

Ranger squeezed my hands and said, "Babe, a contract. A professional hit. A really powerful man wants you dead." The meatballs became lead anchoring me to the sofa. Little dark spots danced in front of my eyes. I was taking rapid shallow breaths when Ranger dropped the next bombshell. " Rangeman can protect you. I have a good plan that will work. You have to marry me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Not mine, JE owns everything**

**Minor Spoiler: I have taken some liberties with a plot line from Hot Six**

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review my maiden voyage into the sea of fan fiction.

Chapter Two

A Man With A Plan

"I have to marry you? I don't understand. I haven't made anyone angry lately and I'm nice. Who would want me dead? And I HAVE to marry you?" I shook my head slowly side to side trying to figure out if this was serious or some bizarre prank. Ranger sighed and began speaking slowly, hesitantly, as if he didn't really want to talk at all.

"Babe, when I checked in with Tank last week he told me that Rangeman had just come across this information from a very trusted source. It took a day or two to confirm that it is true. There is a contract on you. We know who wants you dead, but we don't know why."

Ranger looked tired. He often looked tired after he had been in the wind. He was gone on what he called 'business' trips from time to time. My friend and sometimes wheelman Lula was the first to notice that his business trips frequently coincided with military coups in some third world country. This led to much speculation as to just what kind of business he was up to. My apartment was almost always his first stop upon returning. Sometimes I would wake in the middle of the night to find him sitting in a chair next to my bed watching me sleep. The thought of someone silently sliding into my apartment and watching me sleep should have creeped me out, but I took comfort from waking and seeing my friend there. I suspect Ranger took comfort from it as well.

This time when he came home he had matters to attend to that were so pressing he bypassed coming to see me. And to make things even worse his important business was, apparently, trying to keep me alive! He said he could keep me safe by marrying me. Yeesh! Marrying batman sounded like a recipe for disaster. Ranger didn't do relationships and what kind of a marriage could we have without a relationship?

"Stephanie. Babe, are you still with me?" I became aware that Ranger had been talking.

"No, I'm sorry. I can't focus. Who wants me dead?"

"The Ramos family."

I gasped. "The Ramos family. Hannibal, Homer and Ulysses?" I asked. "The same gun running family that tried to fake Homer's death and implicate you?"

"The same family, Babe. But we don't know if it is one of the brothers or all of the brothers**. **It could even be the old man, Alexander, although he is supposedly retired and living in Greece."

A while back Ranger had had to go into hiding when he figured out that he was being set up for Homer Ramos' murder. He asked me to help do surveillance on Hannibal Ramos. Hannibal and I met face to face when I fell out of the tree in his backyard where I had been spying on him. Hannibal was pretty upset but if he wanted to kill me he could have done it himself right then. It turned out that Homer had faked his own murder to get away from an even badder guy than his brother who was trying to kill him. Homer went to jail and I thought Ranger had come to a peaceable agreement with the remaining two brothers.

"Why will marrying you make this problem go away Ranger?"

He looked at me for a moment and then said, "There are things about the Ramos family and my relationship with them that are not publicly known, and for the most part will remain secret." Holy cow! Was Lula right. Did third world governments fall when Ranger was out of town? And did they do so with the help of firearms from the Ramos family?

"The Ramos brothers are not exactly best buds," Ranger said. "If Homer hadn't gone to prison, his brother Hannibal might have killed him by now. What is not commonly known is that Hannibal has a daughter by his first wife. Hannibal has done everything that he could to keep her existence unknown from his enemies. When Homer tried to branch out from gun running into drugs he crossed serious mob lines and pissed a lot of mean people off. One of them was Arturo Stolle and he knew about Hannibal's daughter. Arturo had his henchmen kidnap Hannibal's daughter. When I was trying to figure out who killed Homer I started following Arturo. I found Hannibal's daughter and was able to return her safely to her father. Hannibal told me then that he was in my debt and that I or anyone in my family would never come to harm from his family."

I was starting to get the picture. If I was Ranger's wife I would be safe from the contract. "When I got back into town," Ranger continued, "I made contact with Tank as usual. He told me that Rangeman had solid information that someone in the Ramos family wants you dead."

Ranger stood in the middle of my small living room taking in my state of shock without comment. I was sitting with my legs pulled up, my hands tightly clasped around my knees. I was looking at the floor, not meeting his gaze, while trying to simultaneously process the facts that someone wanted me dead and Ranger was offering to marry me. I had thought about a Ranger proposal before and although I never went as far as imagining him down on one knee I couldn't have imagined it ever happening like this.

"I was wondering," Ranger continued, "if there was more to your acquaintance with the Ramos family than I was aware of. I tried to limit your contact with them last year because they never act in a predictable fashion and they have a nasty habit of eliminating anyone who gets between them and their goal. Its best to just stay off their radar."

My eyes flew to Ranger's. "Other than the time I fell out of Hannibal's tree, I bumped into Alexander a couple of times, but you know about that. He never even knew my name, let alone my connection to you."

"There's a connection somewhere, Babe. Tank and I have spent the last several days discretely gathering data. The contract is real, and you're the target. We know it comes from the Ramos family consortium and we even have a good lead on the identity of the assassin. But we still have no idea why. You've been under Rangeman protection around the clock for most of the last week.

"I haven't seen anyone following me." I jumped up from the sofa and began pacing to and fro in my small room. Assassin! There were actually bullets with my name on them. My meatball sub was doing somersaults in my stomach. Ranger came to me and wrapped his arms around me, holding me still. His lips ruffled my hair as he spoke. "I've sent a message to Hannibal saying that I had heard of the Ramos' family's intention to eliminate my fiancé. I reminded him of the vow he made when I returned his daughter to him. So Babe, you have to marry me."

The meatball sub did a back flip. I needed ice cream. I turned and made a beeline for the refrigerator. I pulled open the door and looked in the freezer. Empty. Oh well then, cheese doodles. I pulled the cupboard door open. Just like Old Mother Hubbard's, it was bare. Suddenly I knew exactly what I needed.

"Will there be wedding cake?" I asked, and then without warning I burst into tears.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Not mine, JE owns everything**

**Minor Spoiler: I have taken some liberties with a plot line from Hot Six**

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review. It is much appreciated.

Chapter Three

Part One

The Wedding Planner

One week and one day from the evening that Ranger brought me a meatball sub I was Mrs. Carlos Manoso. With typical Ranger efficiency I met his family, he became reacquainted with mine, I was presented with a huge platinum diamond wedding set , and I walked down the aisle of St. Dominick's to become Mrs. Ranger.

The speed with which this all took place convinced my mother that I was pregnant. Nothing I could say would change her mind. She was upset that I was being married in a Catholic church in the Cuban community instead of the Burg, but she was so relieved that I was getting married that she didn't create too much of an uproar. My mom was intimidated by Ranger. A lot of people were. He treated her with respect and perfect manners but she sensed that there was a dark side to Ranger. My Grandma Mazur was thrilled about my upcoming nuptials. Ranger was intimidated by my Grandma. She treated him with open admiration for his "excellent package" and he sensed that there was a deviant side to Grandma.

I was shocked that we were being married in a church ceremony especially given the urgency to get Ranger's ring on my finger. Ranger answered no questions from any of his Merry Men. As far as any of them knew it was a true love match. When I asked him how he got a priest to marry us so quickly he told me not to worry myself about the details. This is when I lost my temper. I grabbed the front of his shirt and shouted "Listen buddy! I never even agreed to this plan. It's my life and I think I should know all the details since we are doing this to save my life."

Ranger calmly removed my hands from the front of his shirt and held them to my sides. "Babe, you are not being forced into anything. If you have a better idea, let's hear it." I rolled my eyes. I had no idea and he knew it.

"I have talked to Hannibal and told him that we are going to be married very soon. Now, I am doing my best to make that happen. He has withdrawn the contract on you but he is not a fool. If he suspects that this wedding is a set up you may be right back where you started."

"And where is that, Ranger?" I asked. "Why did he and his family put out an order to have me killed?"

"I don't know Babe. But we are going to get married and stay married until I can find out. No one can know the true reason behind this wedding. When I can find out what the Ramos' family is doing then we can take steps to correct it." Ranger looked at me and quietly said, "Steph, you know my life doesn't lend itself to relationships. This changes nothing. You are important to me and I am willing to take this step to protect you. When the danger to you is over we will have the marriage dissolved."

I tried to keep the tears from falling, but I couldn't do it. I was pissed, humiliated, pissed and pissed. "What makes you think I want to be married? I never asked you to be a white knight riding in on a charger to save me." Secretly I thought of Ranger as my dark knight. He was Batman and he had secrets that I would never know. I was marrying Batman. A jolt of electricity rattled my body so hard that it may have been an orgasm. Ranger was staring intently at me.

I sighed. "I don't have a death wish Ranger, so I will marry you. I don't want to use you in this way but I don't see any other option. But I'm not giving up my apartment, and when this is over I look forward to being able to move back in!" I touched my hand to my nose to see if it was growing.

"Babe, I have told no one the real reason behind this, except Tank. He will keep our confidence and he will help us clear up this mess." Suddenly Ranger was including me in his plan to solve the mystery of _Let's Kill Stephanie Plum__._ He is a smart man and he knows that nothing upsets me more than being left out of the loop. That is one of the major problems that Joe and I had. Joe Morelli refused to take me or my job seriously. And many times he was able to coax information about a case out of me without reciprocating and giving me any information.

Morelli! Well crud! Even though we had progressed from lovers into a reasonable friendship this news was going to hit him hard. "Ranger, I have to talk to Joe."

"Fine. Call him and we will go over to see him now."

"I have to go alone," I said. He won't believe the story that we just suddenly decided to get married. He thinks you are loose cannon. He will create trouble."

Ranger's mouth curved slightly, his equivalent of a shit eating grin. "A loose cannon?" He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Manoso here. Stephanie and I need to talk to you. When are you available?" He paused to listen and then said, "As important as life or death." He disconnected and grabbed my arm and said, "Come on, we have a cop to talk to, and I will let you tell him the truth. Morelli and I have a good working relationship and I want to keep it that way."

To say Joe wasn't happy about it was an understatement. He knew it was the best plan but he didn't like it. It was a sad feeling to know that he didn't want me in his life in 'that' way, but he clearly didn't want me in Ranger's life in 'that' way either. My meeting with Joe ended with a hug for me and a handshake for Ranger. There was finality about it that I found unsettling. I knew that what Joe and I had was over. It was over even if I wasn't temporarily marrying Ranger. Breaking up IS hard to do, even when you both want it that way.

Part two

Honeymoon at Haywood

Being Mrs. Carlos Manoso was turning out not at all as I had expected. Ranger did an excellent job of getting us married. He looked amazing in a black tux and Tank, the best man was handsome in his tux as well. My maid of honor, Lula was for once not attired in animal print spandex. Her cleavage was almost entirely hidden in the folds of a beautiful soft blue dress. Tank and Lula had a history. Their relationship had ended with relief on both parts. During the wedding ceremony I noticed that they could barely take their eyes off each other. Maybe all the romance in the air was going to settle on them.

I was strangely calm during the whole event. It was such an unimaginable idea. Me, marrying Batman! It was almost as if I was an observer instead of a participant. When Father Rodriguez told Ranger that he could kiss his bride, we shared a simple chaste kiss which added to the surreality of the whole day. Had Ranger ever kissed me without tongue before? Then came my favorite part of the day. The reception.

The small group of family and friends gathered in the Church Hall. As Ranger and I walked in my eyes rested on the most exquisite wedding cake I had ever seen. It was four tiers of butter cream frosting with dozens of sugar encrusted frosting roses. I turned to see Ranger give me the full 200 watt smile. "Just trying to give you the perfect day, Babe."

We left the wedding reception after six pieces, one of which was consumed by Ranger. I was on a sugar high. It was a sunny day, no one was trying to kill me and I was married to Ranger. Sure I knew it wasn't a lifelong deal, but hey…the honeymoon would be great while it lasted. I'd only been with Ranger once but it was unforgettable. He had once told me that he would ruin me for all other men, and I was pretty sure that with a little practice I could leave a pretty good impression on him.

"So. Where are we going on our honeymoon?" I asked. "Jamaica, Bermuda, Miami?"

Ranger said, "Sorry Babe, but we are going to Haywood. I've been back in town just over a week and I have so much to take care of that I just can't get away. Not to mention that we have an ongoing in- depth investigation trying to uncover the 'why' of the contract on you."

Haywood wasn't bad, I thought. Ranger's apartment and my new home is on the seventh floor of Rangeman headquarters on Haywood Street. I had lived there for short periods of time before. One other time in particular when Ranger was in the wind and I had made enemies with a local gang. Haywood was safe and secure and came equipped with Ella, Ranger's wonderful housekeeper. And this time when I stayed on seven Ranger would be there with me.

So it was with a great deal of anticipation that I found myself on the elevator with my new husband about to enter our new home. "Are you going to carry me across the threshold?" I asked, as I launched myself at him.

He caught me mid-air and fobbed his door open swinging me in to the foyer. He sat me gently down and kissed my forehead. He gave me a push toward the bedroom. This was starting to get exciting.

"Tank has moved your essentials from your apartment and Ella has unpacked everything for you. Rex will be living in the kitchen. Go on in and change out of your dress. You should have plenty of clothes to choose from in the closet."

I walked back to Ranger and pressed my body against him, my arms circling his neck. "I am all in favor of taking off the dress," I murmured "but I wasn't planning on putting anything back on." Ranger held me away from him.

"Babe." And then I saw it but I couldn't believe it. His eyelid twitched! "Babe, we are married, and I've told you that I'm an opportunist. This might appear to be a good opportunity, but I'm afraid there can be nothing physical between us as long as we are married."

"Father Rodriguez married us in the Church," Ranger continued. "Because we needed to be married so quickly, it was necessary for me to share with him the exact nature of our circumstance. He agreed to marry us in the Church so that our marriage would be convincing and your life would be safe. There were conditions, however. The main one being that we must have no sexual contact so that the marriage could be appropriately annulled when the danger to you was over."

Now my eyelids were twitching, both of them. "You mean to tell me that for the last several years you saw nothing wrong with tempting me, poaching on Morelli's territory, using every available weak moment of mine to try to make love to me, and now that we're married, that I've ended my relationship with Joe, and that I don't even have to feel Catholic school induced guilt because we're MARRIED, that you are not going to touch me?" I had started out softly but by the time I'd finished I was shouting and the Italian-Hungarian hand gestures were being used in full force.

"You're getting a little scary, Babe. But essentially you seem to understand the situation."

There was so much I wanted to spew out that I was tongue tied. I turned and swung my ass as best I could down the hall into the bedroom. The truth of the matter was I did understand. Ranger has a well defined moral code. The trouble is his idea of wrong and right doesn't always coincide with the New Jersey legal code definition of right and wrong. I'm pretty sure he has killed people, but only bad people. Today he married me in front of his family, in his family church. If his family priest told him that he should not consummate the marriage, then he wouldn't. I was still in awe of the dark sexuality Ranger exuded. Most of the time when there had been sexual contact between us it had been initiated by Ranger with me as a mostly willing participant. Today in the foyer was the first time I had been the initiator. It was the first time I had come on to him, and he shot me down. The arrogant pig. This was war.

In the bedroom I slid my simple white wedding gown down around my hips and let it puddle on the floor. I found black jeans in the closet. They fit like a glove thanks to Ella's good shopping genes. I pulled a black polo on and discovered the Rangeman logo caressing the swell of my left breast. I found black boots and stuffed my feet into them. I went into the bathroom and noted the lingering smell of Bulgari shower gel. I quickly pulled my hair back into a haphazard ponytail.

When I walked into the living room I found Ranger standing with his back to me. His tuxedo jacket was lying across the back of the sofa. He turned and looked at me as I made my way to the door. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going to five to start a search on the Ramos family. I'm going to find out why they wanted me dead, and when I do I'm going to get this marriage annulled. I need an orgasm, and if the only way I can get one is to unmarry you then I'm going to make it happen!"

Ranger moved toward me and the next thing I knew I was sailing through the air to land with a soft thud in a leather easy chair. ´I don't think so, Babe. This is our wedding night. What would my men think if they saw you working on our wedding night?"

"Probably," I drawled, "that you couldn't give me an orgasm." Before he could respond there was a knock at the door. Ranger opened the door to let Ella in. She was carrying a covered tray that was emanating a wonderful smell. She sat it on the table, stepped back into the hall and returned with a silver bucket in which was resting the biggest bottle of champagne I had ever seen. "Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Manoso," she said. "I'll come back tomorrow when you call me to pick up the dishes." She was so sweet I knew I wouldn't do anything to embarrass myself in front of her. Round one to Ranger I thought. But one round does not win the fight. And one fight does not win the battle, and I don't think Ranger even knew I had declared war.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Not mine, JE owns everything**

**Minor Spoiler: I have taken some liberties with a plot line from Hot Six**

Thank you for all the reviews. I appreciate every comment, and all constructive criticism.

Chapter 4

Married, and Not Loving It

The day after my wedding was not starting out well. It was still dark in the apartment when I opened an eye gingerly. When it didn't fall out of my head, I opened the other. I could see a dim light coming from the kitchen and that's when I realized that I had spent my wedding night on the sofa. I was covered by a soft afghan. I lifted it to see that except for my boots I was still clothed. My head was filled with a hundred drums all pounding to a different beat. I had a vague memory of emptying a champagne bottle. I made my way from the sofa to the door of the bedroom. The bed was empty, but had obviously been slept in, and it beckoned to me, but I bypassed the bed and went to the bathroom to take care of business. As I finished I caught a glance of myself in the mirror. Yesterday's mascara was ringed under my eyes. My ponytail had fallen and my hair was frizzed out in all directions. I looked like a bride, alright. Unfortunately I looked like the bride of Frankenstein. I desperately needed my hangover cure but there was no way I could be seen by anyone, let alone my new husband, like this.

I peeled my clothes off letting them lay where they hit the floor, and stepped into the shower. The water was warm and soothing, and the scent of the Bulgari shower gel seemed to calm my aching head. I stood under the spray until my fingers and toes were wrinkled and still I couldn't make myself step out of the wonderful shower. When I got tired of standing I let my back slide down the marble wall and sat in a crumpled heap letting the water course around me. I tried to remember the events of the night before.

Ranger and I had eaten Ella's sumptuous feast in an uncompanionable silence. I remember having at least three glasses of the delicious champagne. Apparently that was about two glasses too many. I must have fallen asleep and Ranger just let me lie on his sofa. Well that was the only night I would be sleeping on his sofa. I would be availing myself of the comfort of his thousand thread count sheets from that point on. If his promise to Father Rodriguez made him uncomfortable sleeping in the bed with me then Mr. Carlos Manoso could spend his nights under the afghan on the sofa!

My thoughts were jumbled by the sudden cessation of warm water. I looked up to see Ranger's hand twisting the faucet off. He reached his hand down to me. I placed my hand in his and let him draw me up from the floor. He held out a plush white terry robe and covered my shoulders slowly wrapping it across my breasts, wiping away drops of water as he did so. His eyes traveled up and met mine. His pupils were dilated and the desire I saw there made me shiver in anticipation. He took a towel and gently squeezed the water from my hair, running his fingers softly through the tangles separating them and calming the wild mess. I stood there and luxuriated in his every touch. He, he, he, I mentally chuckled as I waited for him to pull me against him, round two definitely goes to Stephanie.

He didn't pull me against him. He led me by the hand back into the bedroom. Gently he settled me in his bed, my back resting against the headboard. He leaned across me, his arm brushing against my breasts. I shivered again, my nipples contracting. He picked up a brown sack from the nightstand. He removed an order of McDonald's French fries and sat them in my lap. He reached across me again and this time handed me a coke. He turned and walked out of the room and left me holding my hangover cure. My head was still throbbing, but I could feel the blood pounding in other areas of my body too. Now I thought maybe round two had not been so much a victory as a draw. I ate the fries, drank the coke and slid under Ranger's down comforter. I sighed in bliss as my headache eased and my legs were caressed by the decadent softness of Ranger scented Egyptian cotton sheets. It was a very pleasurable feeling drifting off to sleep in that soft cloud and I enjoyed it knowing that this was as close to an orgasm as I was going to get today.

I woke up to Ranger's hand on my shoulder gently shaking me. "Babe, time to get up. Ella's brought lunch." I groaned and rolled over. The comfortable cocoon I was wrapped in disappeared as the covers flew off the bed leaving me a bedraggled heap of wild hair and white terry cloth robe. "Go away," I muttered. "I'm not a morning person."

"That won't work, babe. It's afternoon. Come on and get up. We'll eat lunch and discuss a plan of action for fixing this situation."

"Situation?" I asked. "When did this become a situation? I thought there was a plan. I thought you had everything under control. Now I find myself fake married to you, a prisoner of your apartment and in the middle of a situation."

"Come on Steph." He pulled me from the bed. "You need food. You are not a prisoner here and we are not fake married. You are in a situation not of my making, and I do have a plan. We know the identity of the people who wanted you dead. The easiest way to solve the immediate problem was to marry you. We will work together and find out why they wanted you dead and fix that problem. Then we can dissolve this marriage and return to our normal lives."

That was the problem, I thought. Before Ranger came back and dropped the bombshell that someone was trying to kill me I had been dissatisfied with my life. I had been trying to decide what to do about the lack of a man in my life. Well, the lack of man was no longer a problem. The lack of sex was another issue altogether. If Ranger remained firm in his resolve to stay away from me I was going to have to increase my sugar intake. I pulled the robe close around me and went to see what wonder Ella had prepared for us. I hoped there was dessert.

We peacefully co-existed the rest of the day. Ranger spent a lot of time at his computer doing Rangeman work. I watched movies on his gianormus plasma TV. And I found a pint of Ben and Jerry's in the freezer. Ella was good. I'm sure the rest of the building was filled with Merry Men who had a whole other idea of what was going on in Ranger's apartment. I spent some time thinking about my bitchiness. I knew that our marriage was only a front. Why then was I so upset when Ranger reinforced what I knew to be true by not touching me? Was I that pitiful female who couldn't survive without a man? I should be thankful that Ranger was being strong, because married or not it would still be casual sex with Ranger. I knew that he could hurt me in ways I'd never been hurt before without even trying.

As the day came to a close I got ready for bed and slid between the sheets of Ranger's bed. He came in the room and stared, raising an eyebrow. "What?" I said. I'm not going to sleep on the sofa. This is a big bed. You stay on your side and I'll stay on mine. I have to get a good night's sleep tonight. I need to pick up a skip for Vinnie tomorrow. I mean, the honeymoon's over. Right?"

"Babe I have no problem sharing my bed with you, but you need to keep your boundaries. You tend to migrate during the night. No pretend sleep fondling please." I threw a pillow at him and without warning got the full Ranger laugh. It doesn't happen very often and I enjoyed it. I smiled at him and he came over and kissed the top of my head, tucking the covers in around me. "Sweet dreams, Babe."

I did have sweet dreams. I awoke early to find myself alone in bed. I heard the shower running and I knew Ranger had slept beside me. I had a vague memory of a wonderful dream. There had been soft fingertip caresses of my breasts, lips kissing a path from my neck over my shoulder and lower. I remember a soft blanket of warmth enveloping me, a slow building of tension in my belly and a wonderful gentle feeling of release. It was the best dream sex I'd ever had. The sound of the shower turning off brought my thoughts back to the present. I stretched and rolled over in bed and realized that I was smack in the middle with sheets tangled around me. At least I had migrated only half way to Ranger's side.

Ranger walked into the bedroom, mostly naked, but with the important stuff covered by a white towel knotted low on his hips. I stared. His body was perfect. He was all smooth mocha latte skin with muscles that rippled as he moved. He looked my way and saw me staring.

"Morning, Babe." I didn't respond. I was too busy watching a small rivulet of water wind its way down past his pecs over his abs and disappear beneath the towel.

"Cat got your tongue this morning Babe?"

"Listen Ranger," I said, "We need some rules. If you are expecting us to have a celibate lifestyle you can't walk around like I'm not living here."

"If you weren't living here Stephanie, there'd be no towel. You seem a little grumpy this morning. You were restless last night. Didn't you sleep well?"

"I don't even remember you coming to bed," I said truthfully. "I slept like a baby."

Ranger came over to the bed a patted my tangled mass of curls. He put his fingers under my chin lifted my face, our gazes meeting. "I'm not sure how a baby sleeps, but the sounds you were making last night sounded all grown up to me." He turned and walked into the dressing room. Oh my gosh! Even in sleep I thought out loud.

Then I had an astounding thought. What if it wasn't a dream. What if Ranger had launched an undercover surprise attack. Nah, not possible, he didn't have a clue that I was waging a private war with him. Right?

Ranger and I shared a breakfast of fruit, yogurt and bagels and we were ready to leave the apartment at the same time. It suddenly dawned on me that I had no car. My current POS , a silver Buick Century, was parked at my apartment. Ranger with his ESP said, "What's mine is now yours. Take a car from the garage. I'll have one of my men on standby today if you need help with your skip."

"Thanks." I smiled my appreciation. I walked to the sideboard and picked up the keys to his Porsche from the silver tray. I hitched my purse strap over my shoulder and headed for the door. Ranger's long sinewy fingers covered my hand and stripped the keys from my fist.

"Babe."

I sighed and went to the garage where I hauled my ass into a black Ford Explorer and went to face the day.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Not mine, JE owns everything**

**Minor Spoiler: I have taken some liberties with a plot line from Hot Six**

I love the feedback. Thanks for the reviews.

Chapter 5

Business As Usual

I pulled the Explorer into the parking lot behind the bonds office and sat for a minute trying to gather myself. I wasn't looking forward to the barrage of questions I was sure to get from Lula and Connie. If I didn't give them details they would be upset. If I told them there were no details to give they would be upset and think I was lying. Well I'd just have to wing it and see how the conversation went.

I walked in to see Lula's butt in the air as she was bent in half filing folders in the bottom row. This was a truly amazing thing on two counts. Number one, her size sixteen butt was encased in size twelve chartreuse leggings, and number two, she was actually filing. She stood and turned when she heard the door bang shut behind me. "Mrs. Ranger! What you doin' here? I thought you'd be home in bed with Batman, or at least home recoverin' from bein' in bed with Batman."

The door to Vinnie's office opened and Connie came out. When she saw me she walked up and pushed me down onto the pretend leather couch. "Spill it, Stephanie!" We've been waiting to hear. Was it everything you thought it'd be? You'd better say yes because I couldn't handle it if that man didn't live up to his potential."

"It was fine'" I said.

"Fine!" Lula yelled. "Fine? Girlfriend, Ranger is fine, that is true. What he does with a woman should be a lot more than fine. It should be earth moving. The man oozes sex outta every one of his pores. He's Batman. He's got super powers. Now don't tell us he's fine!"

"Well," I said, "Ranger is amazing." I knew this to be true. My memory of the night we spent together was very vivid. Lula and Connie didn't have to know what I was about to say didn't happen recently. "He is a passionate and generous lover." I hesitated not knowing exactly what to say. "We've tried to keep our relationship a little quiet, so I don't talk much about it, but he once told me that he would ruin me for all other men. On our wedding night we didn't, uh, I didn't even make it to the bedroom." There, I thought, it's all true. They could put their own spin on why I didn't make it to the bedroom. I felt a tingle of electricity a millisecond before I heard Ranger say, "Ladies, could I speak to my wife in private for a moment?" Connie and Lula looked up to see Ranger standing beside me and both began to fan themselves.

Ranger pulled me from the sofa and out the front door of the bonds office. He held on to my arm as we rounded the corner into the alley and out of sight of the office and its occupants. Many kisses had been stolen by Ranger on this very spot. He didn't seem to remember any of our previous alley activities. He was Ranger in business mode, no time for affection. "What was that about my generosity, Babe?" Great. I couldn't even indulge in little pride saving girl talk without being caught.

I blushed. "Well what did you want me to tell them? This is supposed to be a real marriage. If I told them that we didn't, that there wasn't any…well they'd think one of us was terminally ill. I wasn't gossiping about our private life, I was trying to perpetuate the myth that this is a true marriage"

"You are right. They would expect to hear details. I came by to tell you that if you need any help with your skips today you can call Hal. He is on stand-by to help you if you need back up."

"Thanks. I'll call if I need help, but I'm not going after anyone particularly difficult today, and Lula will help."

Ranger starting walking me back toward the bonds office. "Let's give them a little glimpse into the life of newlyweds," he said. As we stopped in front of the door he took my arms and wrapped them around his neck. He pulled me close and bent his head to touch his mouth to mine. His tongue probed my lips and as I opened my mouth for him he put his hand on my butt and pulled me close against him. I felt him grow hard against me and a slow burn started in my middle and spread north and south. His tongue did a thourough exploration of my mouth. I pulled back slightly. I needed air. Ranger pulled me back against him and held me close for a few seconds, and I realized that we were on a public sidewalk in front of the bonds office. I wondered how long it would be until my mom called.

"Be safe today Babe." He turned and waved to the girls who were pressed against the window watching. He got into his Porsche and drove away. I took a deep breath and took a moment to compose myself. I looked up to see Connie and Lula staring after him as he drove out of sight. I walked inside and said, "Come on Lula. Let's go get Lenny Spivek and take him to jail."

Lenny was my favorite kind of skip. A drunk. He spent most of his days recovering from the night before. He was arrested when he mistook a drinking fountain in the park for a urinal. He missed his court date when he was too hung over to appear. He had missed court dates before and was usually an easy apprehension. The key was to get to him at just the right time. Mornings were good if we found him at home. He'd feel too miserable to fight and come peacefully. Late afternoons were also good if we could locate the bar he was in. By late afternoon he was usually feeling good enough to be talked into a little trip downtown. I was going to make sure we had good timing today. Bad timing might mean anything from a ruined manicure to wearing someone else's lunch on my head, and there was already enough Burg gossip about me this week. I didn't need to provide anymore.

We decided to stop at the Tasty Pastry before we started our search in earnest. I had a big craving and since it wasn't going to be satisfied by Ranger I needed Boston crèmes. Lula was agreeable so we spent a half an hour choosing and eating my second breakfast of the day.

Lula and I left the Tasty Pastry feeling happy. "So what's up with you and Tank?" I asked as we pulled onto Hamilton St. "I noticed at the wedding that you two could hardly take your eyes off one another. I thought things were over between the two of you."

"We are friends" Lula said. "It can't get any more serious with us because of his cats. I'm allergic and he is very attached to his kittens. So we have to be just friends."

"Well you both looked like you wanted to be pretty friendly." I teased.

Lula said, "Tankie is one hunk of a man, but we are just friends, with benefits of course, but nothing more serious than that. We have lots of good conversation too. That's how I know Batman brings down third world governments. Tank helps him sometimes."

I looked at Lula in astonishment. She and I met when she was still practicing her former occupation of 'ho. She had made great changes in her life. She worked in the bonds office by day and was a community college student by night. And apparently had been able to manage a casual relationship with a hunk of a man and get him to talk about his secrets. I had never managed to get more that two sentences in a row out of Tank.

"How do you get Tank to talk?" I asked.

"It ain't that hard, girlfriend. Just like picking up Lenny, it's all about timing. You just have to get him real relaxed and start with small talk and before you know it he's jabberin' about all kinds of stuff." I wanted to ask her just how she got him relaxed but I thought that could be bordering on too much information. After all, I now live in the same building with Tank. It took me months to get over the fact that big bad Tank prized his kittens above Lula. I mean I had seen him throw a man out of a third story window without a second thought, so it was hard to imagine him buying ball of yarn for his kitties. I wondered about those relaxation techniques she used. She used to be a pro and I figured she could probably teach me a thing or two. Maybe I could use some of them on Ranger. But I didn't want to run the risk of bumping into Tank on the elevator and know just what caused his relaxation, so I let the whole thing drop.

There was a little devil in me that wanted to make Ranger as uncomfortable with his promise to Father Rodriguez as I could. I didn't want to think that he was making a huge sacrifice to save my life. He possibly had compromised his relationship with his family who thought our marriage was the real deal. He was proving to be a great friend who cared about me. He loved me by his own admission, in his own way, whatever that meant. I knew I could trust him with my life. Mature Stephanie should accept all this and be grateful. And I was grateful, mostly. But the immature part of me wanted him to be miserable with wanting me. Oh Stephanie! I sighed and changed my direction of thought as we pulled into Lenny's parking lot.

I parked the Explorer and Lula and I picked up our purses at the same time. I pulled out cuffs and pepper spray. She pulled out a Glock. "No shooting!" I said. "Put that gun away. Wait a minute. You're not licensed to carry concealed."

"Girlfriend, I'm not licensed to carry unconcealed. But a girl's gotta be careful these days." She slipped the gun back into her massive bag and we went to find Lenny. I listened at his door for a moment, and heard nothing. I knocked and waited. Still nothing. I pulled his folder out of my bag and found his phone number. I dialed it on my cell and listened to it ringing through his apartment door. Still no sound of movement.

"Don't think Lenny is at home," Lula said. "Guess we will have to pick him up at the Purple Cow." The Purple Cow was Lenny's regular hangout, but I didn't think he'd be there at this time of day.

"I think you're right." I said. "But we can't get him now. He needs to be there for a few hours so he will be in the right frame of mind when he sees us. Let's kill some time at the mall."

"Sure," Lula said. "I hear Macy's is having a shoe sale."

"That'd be good, but I'm thinking about shopping for something else today," I murmured. "I think we need to check out Victoria's Secret, and maybe make a stop by the Pleasure Treasures store." A plan was formulating and if it worked I might be able to claim total victory for round three.

We spent three hours in all at the mall. We bought shoes. Lula bought red platform Via Spigas. I bought purple FMPs with five inch spike heels. We bought lingerie. Lula bought a size ten peignoir set that was supposed to be slinky but I that I hoped would be stretchy. It was leopard print with black lace edging. "This should really relax my Tankie," Lula said. "I bet this little outfit will start a whole lot of conversation." My earlier suspicions had been confirmed.

I bought a camisole and matching tap pants in black satin. I thought it would make a nice addition to my other Rangeman black outfits. If there is one thing I know its lingerie. I spent several years as a lingerie buyer for E.E. Martin in my pre BEA life. I decided to supplement my wardrobe with a new miracle bra. My enhanced cleavage was a true miracle. Oh, the marvels of modern engineering. When it came time to pay I shot a short prayer heavenward that my card had enough credit. I opened my wallet to pull it out to find that it had been replaced with a new shiny platinum version. This one said Stephanie Manoso. That was typical Rangeman efficiency. All bases covered.

We made a quick stop at the Pleasure Treasures store. We had first become acquainted with this store when one of their clerks was FTA. Lula had since become a regular, judging from the greeting she received when we walked in. What are we looking for?" Lula asked.

"Oh just a little wedding present for Ranger," I replied as I walked to a display of massage oils. Interesting, I thought, but not exactly what I was looking for. Lula was perusing the video section. I walked past a row of vibrators of various sizes and shapes and thought about buying one to leave on the bathroom counter. After all Ranger had no shower massager. I rounded a corner and walked straight into a shelf of crotchless underwear. I found a set with the days of the week embroidered on them and I knew round three was mine.

We left Pleasure Treasures and headed for the Purple Cow. This was turning out to be my lucky day as the first person we spotted was Lenny slouched on a bar stool, his elbows on the bar, and his head in his hands. I walked up to him and sat down on the stool next to him. "Hi ya, Lenny." He looked my way his eyes trying to focus on my face. "What say we blow this place for some place a little livelier?" I asked.

He looked at Lula standing behind me. "Is she coming too?" He asked.

"Do you want her to?"

"Well shurre!" he slurred. And it was just that easy. He followed us out to the Explorer and let Lula buckle him in the back seat. We headed to the cop shop and unloaded him without incident. I wasn't wearing anyone's lunch, and I hadn't had to chase him down an alley and all in all it was a pretty good day.

Lula and I sat in front of the desk as we waited for our body receipt. "Uh oh!" Lula said. "This could be trouble." I looked up to see Morelli standing at the end of the hallway behind the desk. One hand was resting on the shoulder of a pretty blonde in a Trenton PD uniform. His other hand was tilting her chin up so that she was staring straight into his eyes. They were oblivious to me. I watched them talking animatedly. I waited for that wave of jealous anger to slam against my mid section. It didn't come. What came was a strange wistfulness that might have been tinged with envy. It looked like they were happy in each other's company. I wondered if I would be keeping company with anyone after I figured out why the Ramos family wanted me dead. I was afraid that once the mystery was solved Ranger would drop me like a hot potato. All the more reason to proceed with my battle plan, I decided. Victory would be mine. I just hoped it wouldn't be a hollow victory.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: They belong to Janet Evanovich**

**Very Minor Spoiler Alert for Six, Eight and Twelve**

Thank you to everyone who has been kind enough to review.

Chapter 6

A Second Proposal

When I entered the apartment on seven that afternoon Ranger wasn't home. That suited my plans perfectly. I wanted to do a little private snooping on the Ramos family. I didn't think Ranger would have any objection to my use of the Rangeman search programs, but I wasn't ready to share a plan I had floating around in my head. I quickly found places for my day's purchases in the closet. I placed my new week's worth of underwear in the dresser drawer. I headed down to five to see if I could log a little computer time before Ranger came home and found me.

Five held several cubicles equipped with computers. There were two empty desks. I took a quick stroll down the hall toward Ranger's office. His office was dark so I thought it was a safe bet he was offsite. Tank was sitting at his desk and he looked up to see me standing in the doorway.

"Hi, Tank. I was wondering if I could use a computer. I need to do a little research on one of my skips."

He didn't hesitate. "Yes. Your login and password from the last time you worked here are still active." His eyes then went back to his task and I had the feeling I had been dismissed. This was the man Lula found to be talkative? I was reconsidering having her explain her relaxation techniques. I went back to the cubicles and found an empty one. I logged on and began my search.

I wanted to get background on the Ramos family. Alexander, the patriarch, was mostly retired. Hannibal was responsible for the day to day running of the operations. Ulysses spent most of his time in South America. I wasn't that concerned with how they managed to run their business. I was looking for anything that would tell me why they would be interested with me. It seemed that I operated in an entirely separate universe. After an hour I gave up. There was nothing I could find that would link the Ramos family to me or anyone I knew…except for Ranger. I had first come into contact with the family when trying to clear Ranger when he was considered a suspect in Homer's murder. I needed to talk to my husband. He had to have some idea of what was behind the contract on me. As I logged off the computer my stomach growled and I decide to postpone my research. I headed back to seven to do research on the state of my refrigerator.

I entered the apartment and saw Ranger stretched out on the couch. His eyes were closed and his hair was loose around his shoulders. I walked close and looked down at him. He was sleeping and seemingly unaware of my presence. He looked younger, the lines of his face relaxed. He was gorgeous. His skin was mocha latte silk, his nose, straight and aristocratic. His lips were full and I shivered when I remembered them touch of them on my skin. His dark lashes were ridiculously long and lush. A slam of emotion punched me in the stomach, momentarily taking my breath away. I was in love with Ranger. I took a step back and stood shaking with my sudden revelation. I had been attracted to Ranger almost since the day we met. When had that attraction become more? I knew I loved him when he made himself a target to save Julie and me from Edward Scrogg. I knew he cared for me the morning I heard about Eddie Abruzzi's "suicide." What I was feeling right now was so intense that it was mind numbing. When had that love for Ranger morphed into being in love with Ranger? I was married to the man I desperately loved and I wasn't allowed to be physical with him. I was married to a man whose life didn't lend itself to relationships. I was in deep, and the smart thing would have been to back away. I took a step forward and bent over to run my hands through his hair.

"Honey, I'm home," I whispered in his ear. I bent forward and put my lips against his. Hs arms came around me pulling me down on top of him. He deepened the kiss and shifted his legs so I settled between them. I left a trail of kisses across his jaw and down his neck. His hands moved under my shirt and made lazy circles on my back. I could feel the moment when he became totally awake and aware. He stilled and groaned as he sat up pushing me aside.

"Babe." He could say so much with one word. I could see at the same time the regret and resolve in his expression. I stood up and reached my hand out to him to pull him up.

"Come on, Batman. I'm hungry. Let's see what we can do about dinner. Or is Ella preparing something for us?"

"Go get dressed up, Steph. I think we will go out for dinner, and maybe some dancing." Ranger was looking a little tense. His mouth had a determined set to it and I thought he didn't want to be alone with me all evening. That was good and bad.

"I'll be ready in a half hour I told him." We would be spending the evening dining and dancing. We would be in the public eye and we would be acting the part of a newlywed couple. Had Ranger really thought about his idea to go out? He might think he was defraying the sexual tension between us, but I was hoping an evening out might have just the opposite effect. Looks like it was a good thing I'd gone shopping today.

I shucked off my jeans and t-shirt. I pulled my new bra out of the drawer and reached for my new panties. I didn't think crotchless was a good choice for the evening so I opted for a lacy black thong. I took a moment to arrange my underwear right next to Ranger's silk boxers with the days of the week showing and then plucked out a pair and stuffed them into the bottom of my purse. I pulled a little black dress out of the closet that had a low scoop neck which would show off my new maximized cleavage.

There was a knock on the bedroom door. "Babe, are you decent?" Ranger came into the room before I could answer that I was. I was standing by the dresser with the drawer still open.

"Come here, Ranger," I said. "I'll show you what I bought today. I didn't know if you wanted me to use these dresser drawers but I didn't know where else to put my stuff." Ranger walked over and looked into the drawer. He hooked a pair on his finger and lifted them out, looking quizzically at first. Then realization dawned as to what he was actually holding.

"Very nice, Babe, but there seems to be a day missing."

"Well," I said, running my hands down my dress smoothing out an imaginary wrinkle over my ass, "today is Monday. I hope you don't mind Ranger that our underwear is sharing the same drawer."

That's okay with me Babe. I don't usually wear, un, that underwear." Ranger, commando! A wave of heat rushed to the region of my underwear. My eyes went to his crotch.

"Babe, you're drooling." I looked up to see the full on 200 watt smile. He gave me a quick hard kiss and went into the bathroom to shower. Rats, Rats, Rats! When was I going to learn to quit baiting Ranger. I could never win. While I hoped he would be wondering about me in crotchless underwear all evening, I knew I would be imagining him commando. The optimist in me thought that it could be a win-win situation. I had one more weapon of mass destruction I could pull out. I quickly put on thigh high silk stockings and my new purple pumps. Those shoes did wonderful things for my legs. I sashayed out into the living room and sat on the couch and waited for Ranger.

A few minutes later Ranger came out of the bedroom. He was wearing black dress slacks with a black cashmere sweater, the long sleeves pushed halfway up his forearms. His hair was slicked back into a ponytail tied with a leather thong at the nape of his neck. A diamond stud sparkled in his left earlobe.

"Beautiful!" I stood and said again, "Beautiful. You are a beautiful man." He was. He was dark and dangerous, incredibly handsome, and, for tonight at least, he was mine.

His eyes took in my dress. We were facing each other our eyes level. He looked down at my five inch heels and smiled. "You're the beautiful one, Babe." He put his hand at the small of my back and moved me toward the door. "Let's go and enjoy the evening."

The restaurant was dark and intimate. I had never been there before, but Ranger seemed to be well known. The maître d greeted him effusively and led us to 'Mr. Manoso's' regular table. There were tables set in half-alcoves around the perimeter of the restaurant. We were seated near the back of the restaurant. Amazingly Ranger was in his normal position of back to the wall with a view of the center tables. The wine steward approached the table. "May I bring you a bottle of your favorite burgundy, Mr. Manoso?" he asked. When Ranger acquiesced he scurried away.

I picked up my menu and noticed two things immediately. There were no prices and everything was written in French. Ranger smiled at my perplexed look. "Don't worry, Babe. I'll order for you if you trust me to do so." I didn't know if I did trust him. His idea of a good meal was a turkey and sprout sandwich washed down with mineral water. When the waiter came to the table Ranger took my menu closed it and laid it on the edge of the table. He then ordered in French. At least I think it was French. I had no idea what I would be eating.

I knew corporate Ranger. I knew SWAT Ranger. I did not know this sophisticated French speaking darkly sexy man sitting across the table from me. "Ranger, who are you? When did you learn to speak French?" I questioned him.

"Tonight I am Carlos. I told you the day we met that I was bilingual, although multilingual would be more accurate. Try it Babe. Let me hear you say my name."

"Alright, C-Carlos." His name seemed foreign on my tongue. I wondered if I knew this man at all. He must have sensed my unease, darn his ESP.

"Babe, I am the same person you know. Sometimes I play this role. Tonight we are a newly married couple on the town. Let's enjoy ourselves. Let's drink some excellent wine, eat a decadent meal and then we will dance. At least we will dance as long as you can stand in those pumps." I rolled my eyes. The entire idea behind these pumps was to make a man want to get you off your feet.

We shared a delicious meal. Our first course was escargot stuffed mushrooms, followed by a wonderful beef stew called bouef bourguignon. And then Ra-Carlos grabbed my hand and said, "I have a surprise for you Stephanie. I've ordered croquembouche for our dessert." Croquembouche turned out to be French wedding cake. It was served with caramel sauce drizzled over it and the most amazing part of it all was that Carlos ate dessert!

After our meal he led me to the small dimly lit dance floor. My shoes put me on an even height with him and our bodies fit together perfectly. I had seen Ranger in stealth mode before and I knew his movements could be cat-like and graceful so I should have anticipated his skill on the dance floor. He held me close occasionally dipping his head to trail his tongue along my neck. We danced song after song. It was the most extended foreplay I'd ever known. When he pulled me from the dance floor and murmured in my ear that it was time to go home I saw a promise in his eyes that made me anxious to leave.

As we walked through the lobby I touched Ranger's arm. "Carlos, I need to visit the ladies room."

"Okay, Babe," he said. I'll have the valet bring the Porsche around and I wait for you out front."

I went to the ladies room and took care of business. As I left I bumped into a gentleman coming from the men's room. "Oh, excuse me!" I exclaimed. He reached out and grabbed my arm preventing me from moving away.

"Sonofabitch, I finally found you!" he said. My heart jumped to my throat as I recognized Alexander Ramos holding on to my arm. I wrenched my arm out of his grasp and tried to run. My purple FMPs weren't made for running. Two men suddenly appeared, one on either side of me. There was nowhere to go.

"I've been looking for you. I'm back in Trenton for good. Those spoiled ass sons of mine nearly ruined the business. I'm taking control of my operations back. Last year I asked you a question and you never gave me an answer. Come back to my table with me." I glanced toward the lobby looking for Ranger. I didn't see him. I didn't think I was in danger from Alexander Ramos so I quit thinking about escape and stopped to listen to him.

"You ran away from me last year," he said. "And by the time I cleaned up the mess my sons had made of my business I realized I didn't know your name. I've been looking for you since then."

"I'm Stephanie Plum," I said totally forgetting that I was, in fact, Stephanie Manoso. I glanced nervously toward the lobby. Still no Ranger. I thought it was a good thing to make sure that Alexander and Ranger remained unaware of each other's presence.

"I know that now, but you were hard to find," Alexander said. "I asked you last year and circumstances prevented you from answering me. Stephanie, Will you marry me?" Suddenly everything fell into place for me. I had a pretty good idea that it was the Ramos sons who wanted me dead, and I thought I knew why.

"Mr. Ramos," I said, "I think we need to discuss this and now is really not a good time for me. Could we meet tomorrow maybe?" Alexander Ramos stared at me for a moment trying to decide if he should let me go. He reached a gnarled hand into the breast pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a book of matches. He handed them to me. The logo read 'Whiplash Bar and Grill'

"Meet me there tomorrow at noon. It would be in your best interest not to be late." Then he and his henchmen walked back into the restaurant. I hurried from the lobby to find Ranger waiting patiently beside the Turbo. He held the door open for me watching quietly while I carefully maneuvered myself into the car seat keeping my ass barely covered by the short skirt of my dress.

"Thanks, for a wonderful evening, Carlos." I made a quick decision not to say anything about seeing Alexander Ramos.

"Anytime Babe. I enjoyed the evening but I'm a little disappointed that we didn't see any of the Ramos family." I looked quickly over at Ranger. He was looking straight ahead paying attention to the business of pulling out of the parking lot and heading home. I was reassured that he was unaware of my recent encounter. "The restaurant is frequented by the Ramos family and several of their business associates," he continued to speak without seeming to notice my discomfort at the timeliness of his statement. "The contract on you has been rescinded but I thought it would be a good thing for them to see us together."

And just like that I knew that Carlos was gone and Ranger was back. The evening had been not so much about our spending time together as it was about being seen as a newly married couple. Carlos made love to me on the dance floor. Carlos' eyes looked at me like I was the dessert course of dinner. Ranger, the man driving me home was concerned with keeping me safe, even if it took an emotional toll on him. I suddenly understood what he meant the day he told me that there was no price, emotional or physical for what we gave each other. This is what he meant when he said that he loved me in his own way. I was an important part of his life and Ranger would keep me safe no matter what the cost to him. It was also the reason that I would probably be unsuccessful in my amateurish attempts into seducing him to consummate our marriage. His life was ruled discipline and order. He went into his zone, not talking the rest of the way home and that was just fine with me. I had plenty to think about myself.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: They all belong to Janet Evanovich**

**Spoiler: Minor liberties taken with Hot Six**

Thank you for all the reviews. Things are heating up over the next two chapters, and I'll be looking forward to comments.

Chapter 7

A Business Lunch

The short trip back to Haywood was accomplished in silence. As we entered the elevator to go up to seven a wave of fatigue swept over me. "I'm going straight to bed." I told Ranger.

"I'll see you to the apartment then I'm going back to five. I have a little paperwork to do." Whether he had work to do or not Ranger was giving me the opportunity to get into bed before he was back in the apartment. Sharing a bed was taking a toll of both of us, and I couldn't find the energy to play the vamp again that night. And more than that I was getting tired of getting my hopes up and then having them shot down by Ranger.

The next morning started much like the one before. I awoke to find myself alone in Ranger's bed. Judging by the wrinkled linens I was pretty sure Ranger had come to bed after me and gotten up before me. If this kept up he might have to take a nap every afternoon.

I quickly showered and dressed. My hair was out of control so I scraped it back into a ponytail, and went to face the day. I found Ranger the sitting at the dining room table concentrating intently on a file open in front of him. He looked up as I slid into a chair across from him. "Morning, Babe. What have you got on tap for the day?"

"Well, I'd like to talk to you for a bit," I said helping myself to a bagel and slathering it with cream cheese. Ranger closed the file he had been reading and gave me his attention.

"I was wondering how the investigation into the 'why' of the contract was going," I said. "I thought we were going to work together on this and I haven't heard anything."

"Not much to tell, Babe. We are collecting intel but haven't come up with anything specific."

I leaned forward on my elbows and said, "Why don't we just go talk to Hannibal, or even Alexander."

"That wouldn't be a good idea, Babe. These are not nice men, and while it is true that they no longer have a contract on you they are not the most trust worthy types. When we have good information then maybe we can confirm it by talking with a member of the family. You're not thinking about going off on your own with this, are you?"

"Who me?" I asked.

"Stephanie, I want you to stay away from the Ramos family. It's not safe"

"Ranger, you know I wouldn't put myself in a risky situation if I didn't have to." Ranger stared at me until I broke eye contact. I rolled my eyes and reached for another bagel.

"What are your plans for the day?" he asked again.

I took a deep breath. "I'm going by the bonds office this morning. I've got a body receipt to turn in on Lenny Spivek, and I'll check to see if there are any new FTAs. And I promised my mom I'd come by for lunch. Grandma sprained her ankle at her tae kwon do class and she is confined to the house for a few days. Mom asked me to help entertain her." Everything that I'd told Ranger was the truth. I just hoped he didn't figure out that there was quite a bit I didn't tell him.

"Okay, Babe," Ranger said. "Use the Explorer again today, and if you need help with anything call Hal."

The bonds office was my first stop, and just as I'd told Ranger I did have a body receipt. I also had an ulterior motive. The bonds office had really good search programs. Not as good as Rangeman's, but there was less likelihood that someone at Rangeman would figure out what I was up to. I really didn't want Ranger to know what I was doing because I knew he wouldn't let me see Alexander Ramos alone. Connie was at her desk putting a top coat on her blood red manicure. I gave her the body receipt and looked around her desk into Vinnie's dark office.

"Where's Vinnie. He's usually in his office by this time." My fingers were crossed waiting for Connie's answer. My day would be a lot easier if I could take care of my personal business and forget about Vinnie's.

Connie smiled, "He'll be out of the office for a week, at least. He had emergency hernia repair surgery this morning. Lucille called to tell me all about it. Let's just say he was injured in the line of duty…husbandly duty that is."

"Yuk. Too much information!" I exclaimed. "But it is good timing for me. I need your help."

"Sure," Connie said. What's up?'

I pulled the matchbook out of my purse and dropped it on the desk. "Well to start with I need to find an address for this place, and then I need to find out what kind of place it is and if it's safe for me to go there alone. I didn't want to leave a computer trail for Ranger to follow so I thought maybe you could do a search for me."

Connie picked up the match book and looked at it. "I could do a computer search for you, or I could just tell you where it is. I used to eat lunch there with my Uncle Bernie all the time. It was one of his favorite places." Connie's family connections are well known in the Burg. Uncle Bernie was a big spender and very generous to his niece, but no one was ever quite sure how he earned his money. Unfortunately Uncle Bernie was eating his lunches these days at the New Jersey State Penitentiary. Part of the reason he always had so much disposable income may have been because he neglected to pay taxes for the last twenty years.

"Uncle Bernie's favorite place?" I asked. "Is it a, uh, a mob hangout?"

"Well sure, but the food's great." Connie gave me the address to the Whiplash Bar and Grill. It was outside of Trenton proper near the airport. I looked at my watch. I still had time, but I was mindful of Mr. Ramos' warning not to be late.

There was one other thing I needed. "Do you have an employee file on Joyce Barnhart? I know it's a lot to ask but I could really use a picture of Joyce."

"Yeah," Connie said. "I've got a file on all the licensed BEAs Vinnie uses, and they all have photos in them. Except Ranger's. His picture keeps disappearing." She got up and went to a file cabinet and returned with a passport sized photo of Joyce.

"This isn't exactly what I had in mind." I said. I was hoping for one of her in a black leather jumpsuit. You know, like she was channeling Catwoman."

"Sorry, no can do. Vinnie might have something on his computer, but I'm afraid to look. You can have the file photo if you want it though."

I took the photo and the paper with the address on it and said to Connie, "We never had this conversation."

"What conversation?" she asked. "If anyone from Rangeman comes in to ask what we were discussing I'll just tell them we were talking about your love life. I don't know what you're up to but be careful."

I headed to my Mom's house. Contrary to what I told Ranger they weren't expecting me. When I pulled the Explorer in front of the house I looked up to see Grandma Mazur standing at the door. She and my mother both had some Burg ESP that alerted them when I was within a half-mile range of the house. Grandma held the door open for me sticking her air splinted ankle out for me to see.

"Ain't this a bummer. I'm gonna miss class for a couple of weeks. I hope I don't lose any of my skills." Her leg was bruised all the way up to the knee.

"It looks painful." I said. "How'd you do that?"

"I was trying to get qualified for a black belt," Grandma said. " I saw a big stack of boards and Elmer held one for me to try to break in half with my foot. I should've used my head like Rose Stankavic did. She broke her board clean in two. What brings you by today?"

"Oh I just thought I'd stop by." I looked in the kitchen. It appeared that Grandma and I were home alone. "Where's Mom?"

Grandma said, "She had your Dad drive her to Giovichinni's. They got a sale on brisket." I couldn't believe my luck. First I find Vinnie out of the office and now my mother had left to run an errand.

"Well, I can't stay very long," I said. "I might have to leave before Mom gets back. I just came to ask a favor. I was wondering if I could use Uncle Sandor's Buick today."

Grandma looked out the window. "I see you're driving one of them Rangeman cars. What happened to yours? Did you blow up another one?"

"No. Nothing like that. You know all Rangeman vehicles have tracking devices on them? Well so does my Buick. They know every place I go. I want to go shopping for a present for Ranger. I want to, uh, surprise him this evening, and if he sees I'm at the mall it could ruin the surprise." I was a decent liar, and I thought this was a decent lie. Grandma must have sensed that she wasn't getting the straight story.

"I bet you're not going to the mall. Esther Sayjack saw you and Lula going into the Pleasure Treasures the other day. I bet you're going back to buy more love toys for your new husband. I wouldn't mind doing some shopping there. You can take the Buick, if you want, but you'll have to fill up the tank. You know it uses premium."

"Thanks Grandma. But I'm really not going to Pleasure Treasures. I'll ask Lula to stop by and get you the next time she goes." I grabbed the keys to the Buick and made it out the door and out of the Burg without having to explain anything to my mom. I hoped my good luck continued. I was on my way to have lunch with a very dangerous man who wanted to marry me and I was going to have to show him the two carat diamond and platinum band on my left hand.

I found the 'Whiplash Bar and Grill' without any trouble and pulled into the parking lot at five till noon. Although it was unlikely that anyone I knew would be driving by I didn't feel good about leaving Uncle Sandor's Buick right out front. It was one of a kind and very recognizable. I pulled around the building and parked next to what looked like an emergency exit. I backed the car in, which was no simple feat. I really wasn't expecting to have any trouble with Alexander, but then I'm a glass half full girl. I thought it would be a good idea to be prepared for a quick getaway, just in case. There were several other cars in the parking lot so I felt pretty comfortable about going inside.

I walked around the front of the building and stopped at the door smoothing my stretchy blue t-shirt down over my hips to where it just about met the top of my jeans. The more time I spent with Ranger the easier it was getting to button my jeans. Donuts were not readily available at Haywood. As I reached to push the door open it swung inward. A rotund man with no hair, a blue suit and a large pinky ring said, "Hello Miss Plum. Mr. Ramos is expecting you. Follow me please." And with that he took off toward a door at the back of the restaurant. My eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the dark smoky interior so I wasn't able to check out any of the other patrons.

I entered a small room about eight feet by ten feet. A table covered with a white linen tablecloth and two chairs sat in the middle of the room. There was a centerpiece of red roses fragrancing the room. Alexander Ramos stood up and smiled at me. "Thank you for coming, Stephanie. And thank you for being punctual." I was taken aback. I thought I was going to a business meeting with one of Trenton's, heck one of the east coast's, most notorious mob bosses. Instead it looked suspiciously like a date! Alexander held out his hand indicating that I should sit in the vacant chair next to him. When I did a waiter appeared leaving two ice cold bottles of beer.

"Thanks," I murmured. I looked around and realized that we were alone in the room.

Alexander took a long drink of his beer and asked, "Do you remember me proposing to you Stephanie?"

I thought about it. I did remember it. I had only met with Alexander Ramos two or three times previously and the man he appeared to be then was not the man he was now. I had been doing surveillance for Ranger and coincidentally had been driving "Big Blue" as Lula called Uncle Sandor's Buick. The door to my car had been jerked open by Alexander and he hopped in demanding that I take him to get cigarettes. Since I didn't want to be seen by any other family members I had happily driven away from the Ramos compound in search of cigarettes. This scenario was carried out several days in a row. I was gathering information for Rangeman to help clear Ranger's name. Alexander obviously thought I had a more personal interest in the visits. On the last day we went for cigarettes we stopped at a bar for Alexander to have a couple of shots of whiskey. While we were in the bar he complained that his sons were forcing him into retirement and had even hired babysitters to watch him and keep him from getting in trouble. He said that he needed a strong woman to help him regain control of his business and asked me to marry him. I was saved from answering when his 'babysitters' burst in at gun point and I barely escaped with my life. I hadn't seen him again until last evening. I wasn't even aware he knew my name was Stephanie.

I was brought back to the present when Alexander continued speaking. "I wanted to see you today to more formally propose marriage. I need a woman who isn't afraid of my sons. Someone who can use a gun if necessary. I'll give you a good life. I got plenty of money and I have a prescription for Viagra."

Yeesh! Except for the Viagra part I wasn't too surprised at what I was hearing. I had anticipated something very close to what he was saying. Keeping my left hand in my lap with my diamond turned into the palm of my hand, I used my right hand to take a swig of beer. "Did you tell your sons about wanting to marry me I asked?"

Alexander looked surprised at my question. "Those incompetent asses. I sure as hell did. I told them I was taking the control of the business back and disinheriting them. I said as soon as I could find out your last name I was gonna marry you and revise my will."

Bingo. I had the 'why.'

I tilted my beer bottle and chugged the entire thing. I took a deep breath and hoped the liquid courage would hit me soon. I had a story to tell Alexander Ramos and I hoped he was going to take my news well. "Mr. Ramos, um, Alexander. Last year after we found out that Homer wasn't dead and that Ranger was being set up for his pretend murder I started doing surveillance of your beach house to try and get information to clear Ranger. That's how I met you. I didn't realize you were still in the United States. I had been told that you went back to Greece."

"I did," he said. My sons were trying to take over the business and force me into retirement. They were trying to make my associates think I was feeble and senile. I had to gather my allies and fight to regain control. I have done that."

"Well," I continued, "I didn't know that I would ever see you again. Ranger and I were both employed by Plum Bail Bonds as Bond Enforcement Agents." My fingers were firmly crossed in my lap. "We became very close and Ranger asked me to marry him." I slowly raised my left hand and showed him the rings.

"You're already married? You're married to Carlos Manoso?" he asked, his voice cracking.

"Yes." I waited for his reaction, expecting anger. I thought the men guarding the door would soon enter the room. I was already devising a plan to run.

I got a reaction, but not the one I was expecting. "This is bad. This is terrible," he said. "You must not tell Ranger we had this conversation. He is very important to my business. I need to keep him as an ally and he is already unhappy with us since this foolishness of Homer's."

I was staring at him in shock. Alexander Ramos was concerned about Ranger's reaction. Now it was his turn to drain his beer bottle.

"I'm sure you know that I sometimes make deals with groups that the government cannot deal with," he said. "They overlook certain activities on my part because the deal I've made could be advantageous to them. Ranger has the contacts to sway attitudes in certain government agencies." Oh my Gosh. This man was telling me that Ranger was indeed a mercenary, and possibly a mercenary on the government payroll. Lula was right! This was going to take some serious time in my thinking position, but in the meantime I had to finish my story for Alexander Ramos.

"There is more you need to know," I said. A few weeks ago Ranger became aware that there was a contract put out on my life. Rangeman investigated and found out it was your sons that instigated it. I'm thinking that maybe this happened about the time that you told them you were marrying me."

Alexander jumped to his feet, knocking his chair over backwards. At the sound of the crash two men came running into the room. "Get out!" he screamed at them. "Leave us alone to continue our discussion." He was in a rage. "I will kill them myself. They have no family pride. They are ruled by greed! They dishonor me!" The veins in his neck were standing out and he was an old man.

I rose to my feet and reached out to grasp his wild gesturing hands. All I needed was for him stroke out and hit the floor. "Calm down, Alexander. There is more to tell, and this story could have a happy ending. Ranger went to talk to Hannibal. They have an understanding. Hannibal told Ranger that he was in Ranger's debt and no harm would ever come to me. There is no longer a contract on me."

Alexander sat down heavily. He looked up at me. "How can this story have a happy ending? You're married. I need someone like you to help me with my sons."

I smiled and sat back in my chair. "I have a plan, but it will cost you. You owe me lunch!"

He smiled wanly at me and called for the waiter. A hamburger and plateful of fries later I was feeling at ease sitting across from one of the vilest men in Trenton. As I wiped up the ketchup off my plate with my last fry I said, "You're right. You do need a woman by your side. But I'm not the right one. I'm terrified of your sons. You need someone who will terrify them, and I know just the person for the job. Her name is Joyce Barnhart." I picked up my purse and pulled the picture out that Connie had given me.

Alexander looked carefully at the picture. "She looks familiar. I think she bought me cigarettes last year too, when my sons were holding me prisoner in my own home. I went outside to look for you, but you didn't show up. I thought she was Catwoman. She's a looker."

"And she is currently single," I said. I pulled out my cell phone and looked up her number. I wrote it down on the back of the picture. "Call her," I said, "but you might not want to mention my name. Tell her you have been trying to find her for the last year." My work here was done. I shook hands with Alexander and swung my ass out of the 'Whiplash Bar and Grill.'

I looked at my watch as I pulled the Buick out of the parking lot. I headed for my parents house. I wanted to switch the Buick for the Explorer and get back on the Rangeman tracking grid as soon as possible. I was feeling proud of myself. I, Stephanie Plum Manoso, had figured out the 'why' of the contract all by myself. I hadn't rolled in garbage; no one had shot at me and I beaten Ranger and the Merry Men to the solution. Why then did I have a feeling of unease? Something was wrong, but I wasn't sure what it was. Surely I wasn't feeling guilty about setting up Joyce? She was my arch enemy. I had hated her since grade school. She had sex with my husband on my new dining room table. She called me fat!

I slapped my hand against my forehead. "Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie," I said to myself. "You're such a wuss." Sure I hated her, but I didn't want to be responsible for a contract being put out on her. I pointed the Buick toward Joyce's house. As I turned into her subdivision at the edge of the Burg I noticed a large black SUV three cars behind me. My heart skipped a beat. Was it a Rangeman vehicle? I released a breath I didn't know I was holding when the SUV continued on by and didn't turn after me. I knew that I would be telling Ranger about my meeting with Alexander, but I wanted to do it in my own time.

I parked on Joyce's driveway and went to aid and abet the enemy. Joyce Barnhart opened her door and looked disparagingly at my jeans and t-shirt. She was dressed in a purple leather jumpsuit. Her hair was four shades of red, none of them known to Mother Nature. Her eyebrows had been permanently tattooed on. She had eyelash extensions that were half an inch long. Her nails were painted a shade of purple that perfectly matched her jumpsuit, and her lips were fat and shiny with a bright scarlet shade of lip gloss. "What do you want?" she snarled.

"Can I come in?" I asked.

"No."

"Well then, I'll make it quick." I hated this woman. "Do you remember Alexander Ramos?" I asked.

"Yes." She drawled. "He's the rich old fart that is head of the biggest arms smuggling cartel on the east coast. I had drinks with him a while back."

"Well Joyce, I think he is interested in you. He is single and looking for a wife. You might be getting a call from him. I had lunch with him today and I, uh, gave him your number. The thing is his sons are very protective and they would like to keep their dad single. If you go out with him you could be in a large amount of personal danger."

"That's a load of crap," she said. "You're just trying to scare me off so you can have a go at him. Well it won't work. He's old and he's rich and no man in their right mind would be interested in you when he could have me!"

Little red spots jumped in front of my eyes. I clenched and unclenched my fists. "You're right Joyce. You're just too smart for me."

I stepped off her porch and walked toward the Buick. A large black SUV pulled up behind the Buick. Two doors opened and Tank and Hal got out and walked toward me.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: They all belong to Janet Evanovich**

**Spoiler: Minor liberties taken with Hot SIx**

Thank you for all your reviews. I welcome all comments.

Chapter 8

War and Piece

Tank and Hal were talking in undertones as they walked toward me. Hand gestures and facial expressions made me think they were quietly arguing. As they stopped in front of me Tank turned to Hal and said, "All right! You can take it." He turned to me and said, "Ranger has requested that we bring you back to Rangeman ASAP. I'll take you back and Hal can return the Buick to your Grandma."

I hoped they had been arguing about who would get to drive the Buick rather than who would get Stephanie duty. Men loved every gas guzzling cylinder of Big Blue. They loved the power of the V8 engine. I'd hate to think that they were arguing about who was going to haul me back to Rangeman like a truant officer with a kid playing hooky. I pulled the keys out of my pocket and tossed them to Hal.

"You'll have to fill the tank," I said. "And Grandma says Big Blue runs on Hi-Test." I turned walked toward the SUV without a backward glance.

After four blocks of silence I couldn't take it any longer. I shot Tank a sideways glance. "How did you know I ditched the Explorer?" Silence. "How did you find me?" Silence. "Why didn't Ranger come to get me?" Silence. I tried once more. "Why don't you like me?" At that Tank turned and looked at me with surprise in his eyes.

"I like you." He seemed concerned. "Why do you think I don't like you?"

"Gee, I don't know." I rolled my eyes. "You never speak more than two sentences to me. Just now you totally ignored my questions."

"Cell phone."

"What?" I asked.

"Cell phone," he repeated. "You turned on your cell phone for just a few seconds but we were able to triangulate your position. I called Ranger to let him know we had your location, and, well," he continued almost apologetically, "I had to tell him that by the time we got to The Whiplash we'd missed you but we did see Alexander Ramos leave with two of his goons in tow. We were on our way back to your Grandma's, thinking we could intercept you there when we saw you on the road ahead of us."

My stomach roiled and I felt sick. I knew Ranger wouldn't be happy with me. I was content to ride the rest of the way in silence. I didn't want to hear anything else Tank had told Ranger. We pulled into the garage on Haywood. I turned to Tank and said, "Thanks for the ride," and I started to get out of the SUV.

Tank reached out and put his hand on my arm. "Ranger told me to tell you to wait for him on seven, and Stephanie, when I told him we saw Ramos he already knew. He said that you'd just had lunch with him."

I smiled at Tank and said, "Thanks for the info." I headed up to seven.

The apartment was empty but I thought Ranger would be there before long. I thought he might be a little upset that I had left the Explorer at my mom's house. If I told him the results of my lunch with Alexander he would be pleased, I was sure. He was truly concerned about my safety, and he would be happy to know that the situation with the Ramos family was solved. But then, I thought, if I was no longer in danger there would be no need to continue this marriage. And that was something I didn't want to think about. I decided to continue my thinking on Ranger's bed.

When I awoke the apartment was dark. I listened and heard nothing, so I got up to look for Ranger and discovered that I was still alone in the apartment. I decided to go down to five to see if he was working late. When I opened the door I found Hal standing guard outside the door.

I gave him a little finger wave and went to walk around him. He put his arm out and said, "I'm sorry Stephanie, but Ranger requests that you stay in the apartment."

"I'm not leaving the building," I said. "I'm just going down to five."

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I've been given orders to keep you in the apartment, or to stun you if you try to leave." My astonishment was obvious, and Hal looked uncomfortable as he said, "I'm really sorry, but it's my orders, and also your grandmother said to tell you hello." I gave Hal a little smile and turned around and went back in the apartment. I was under house arrest! I was an adult woman who had just taken back control of my life that very afternoon, and I was being held prisoner by Ranger. I was starting to get upset.

My stomach growled. I suddenly realized I was hungry. I wondered if there would be dinner from Ella. I wasn't sure that she knew I was there. I also wasn't sure I wanted to explain why I was in the apartment with Hal standing guard outside. Ella was the soul of discretion, but the less people who knew Ranger was holding his wife prisoner the better, I decided. I went to the kitchen to see what I could find. There was peanut butter left from one of my previous visits. I found olives in the fridge, but no white bread. I made do with whole wheat.

Two sandwiches and a bottle of beer later I was no longer hungry but I was still alone. I was past upset and well into angry. Where was Ranger and how long was he going to keep me locked up? How did he find out about my lunch with Ramos? I had lots of questions but no answers. I tried to think logically about it. I had disobeyed orders from Ranger before. On one occasion he had sent me home to wait for him and the Merry Men to catch Constantine Stiva after he tried to kill me. He had actually handcuffed me to Tank to insure my compliance. I returned to the site of the take down less than an hour later and participated in capturing Stiva. Ranger had seemed unsurprised to see me, even proud of what I'd done. He hadn't sent me away out of anger, but out of concern for my safety.

That realization made me wonder if there was more to the present problem with the Ramos' than I was aware of. I didn't think so. This incarceration didn't feel like protection. It felt like punishment. I am creative and resourceful, but I knew there was no way I was getting out of the apartment, let alone the Rangeman building. I decided to prepare for battle. I hit the shower running, but this time I used my own shower gel. I didn't want to smell like Ranger. I buffed and moisturized every square inch of my body. I gave myself a manicure and a pedicure. My hair for once was perfect, all tousled, soft curls. I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but dang, I was going to look great for it. Three hours later I was still alone, and exhausted from pure temper. I went to the bedroom and pulled open the dresser drawer to look down at my lingerie purchases. I put on the black cami and tap pants and went to bed. This was not a night for sleeping in one of Ranger's t-shirts.

When I awoke this time I knew immediately that I wasn't alone. I opened my eyes to see Ranger standing motionless at the foot of the bed. He was silhouetted by a dim light from the hallway. It was hard to sense his mood. He was utterly still. I felt my earlier anger come back in a rush. I threw the covers off and hopped out of bed to stand as still as he was.

"Welcome home. Is my guard still outside the door? Or do you think you're sufficient to keep me from leaving?"

"Babe." It was a one word warning that I didn't heed.

"What's this all about Ranger? Why did you post a guard here? Was it punishment for going against your wishes? I can't imagine it was for my protection. I don't think I'm in any eminent danger from the Ramos family."

"It was for your protection , Babe. But not from the Ramos family. From me."

I gulped. I was used to Italian anger with yelling and stomping and wild hand gestures. I took a good look at Ranger. There was tightness around his mouth and his eyes were cold. And still he remained motionless, his gaze never wavering from me.

"I'm used to giving orders. My men obey me or they pay the price," Ranger said. "I don't order you to do anything. I ask, and I expect you to honor my wishes. I don't ask anything unreasonable of you. When you disregard my wishes it always costs me money, manpower and time. Today was no exception. I needed to stay away until I was back in control of my temper."

"When I disregard your wishes?" I asked quietly. I was angry but something else was building and getting ready to spill over the top. My temper was boiling and churning and getting ready to erupt like Mt. Vesuvius.

"I didn't plan this meeting with Alexander," I continued. "I bumped into him as I was leaving the restaurant last night. The restaurant that you took me to so that we might be seen by the Ramos family. Your plan was successful. We were seen by a member of the Ramos family and he asked me to have lunch with him today. I was in a public place. It was totally safe, and I found out what we've all been wondering about. I know why the contract was placed on me."

Ignoring me, Ranger sat down on the edge of the bed and took his shoes off. He stood and started unbuttoning his shirt. I went to stand in front of him. I grabbed hold of the front of his shirt. "What is it with you Ranger? Aren't you interested in knowing why they wanted me dead? I turns out that it was a really good thing you had the plan to marry me, because Alexander wanted to marry me. He wanted me to become the matriarch of the Ramos family because he thought I could control his sons."

Ranger wrapped his hands around my wrists and squeezed until I loosened my grip on his shirt. He didn't seem surprised at my news about Alexander Ramos wanting to marry me. Possibly because he already knew, I thought,… and then I knew. Ranger had been withholding information from me.

"Ever since you became my 'husband' you've been withholding information from me," I shouted at him. People didn't usually shout at Ranger, and if I hadn't been so angry I would have noticed the muscle twitching along his jaw line and I would have proceeded with a more cautious approach. "We were supposed to work on this together," I continued my harangue. "But I think you've been leaving me uninformed. You go about your business doing what you think is best without ever consulting me! You are treating me with the same disrespect that Morelli did."

"And what about your actions, Babe?" Ranger asked quietly. "You blatantly disregarded my wishes and went to see Ramos without back-up. Wasn't that disrespectful to me? As for Morelli and the way he treats you there is something you should probably be aware of. Joe Morelli saved your life today, Stephanie."

He slipped the shirt from his shoulders and walked into the bathroom. I was speechless. Joe saved my life? He came back out of the bathroom wearing only silk boxers, his hair loose around his shoulders. He walked to the bed, bending down to pull back the covers.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice sounding high and grating even to me.

"I'm going to bed, Babe. It's been a long day." No way was he going to peel off his clothes and hop into bed without finishing this conversation.

I grabbed his arm to keep him from getting into bed. He looked at my hand on his arm, no emotion showing in his face. I felt his muscles tense beneath my grip and I realized he was spending some effort maintaining his control. "You can't say something like that and not explain it." He stood and took a step toward me. I let go of his arm and stepped back. He took another step toward me and again, I stepped back. I was against the wall and he was getting closer. He put his hands on my shoulders and held me immobile against the wall. I felt a shiver of excitement shoot through my body at his nearness. My nipples pebbled against the satin fabric of my camisole. Damn this man, I thought, who had this power over me. Even in the middle of a royal temper fit my body still responded to his nearness.

"Joe Morelli was undercover at The Whiplash today, on a case that had nothing to do with you me or Ramos," he said softly. "It was an unbelievable stroke of good luck that he was there. He saw Alexander Ramos come in and then he saw you. He didn't see any Rangeman backup and he thought that was odd. He didn't want to blow his cover so it was awhile before he could get away to call me."

He was so close to me that his breath tickled my neck as he spoke. I could feel his thighs against mine. "When Morelli called I had all ready talked with your Grandma and I knew you were driving the Buick," he continued, speaking in a tone that was deceptively calm. "What you didn't know, Stephanie, was that although the contract on you was no longer active, Hannibal and Ulysses had a contract on their father. We knew the hit was going down today but didn't know where. Rangeman had shared this intel with the Trenton PD. I asked Morelli to stay until I could get men there. I left immediately but before I could call for backup, Tank called me. He and Hal had just pinpointed your location from your cell phone and they were on their way. Then Morelli saw a man come into the bar that he recognized. He knew the guy was probably there to take out Ramos. He blew his cover to get the guy out of the bar. Two minutes later you walked out and drove away. When I arrived Morelli had the assassin in custody. I sent Tank and Hal after you."

Morelli and Ranger had been sharing information in an effort to keep me safe. They just forgot to tell me about it. I was livid. Vesuvius erupted. I twisted away from Ranger, took a deep breath and then launched myself at him, swinging both arms and aiming a kick at his crotch. Batman was going down, I thought. I was flattened against the wall in an instant with Ranger's body holding me tightly in place.

"Get off me!" I yelled trying unsuccessfully to wriggle out from him. "Let me go." And then my rantings were silenced as Ranger's mouth came down on mine. The kiss was hard, punishing, his teeth cutting into my lips. I twisted my head to break free but he deepened the kiss even further. His tongue plunged into my mouth. I felt him grow hard against me. My anger began to recycle itself. He pulled me from the wall wrapping his arms around me. My arms came around his neck, and I began a new a battle, returning his kiss with an anger fueled passion.

We both broke away gasping for air. I let my tongue trail along his collarbone. I heard his indrawn breath. His arms loosened and his hands came up to tangle in my hair. He raised my face and his lips found mine again. He pulled me closer, my breasts flattening against his chest. Slowly he walked backwards until we fell on the bed, Ranger on his back, me on top of him. His hands were traveling the length of my body, stroking, caressing. My anger had totally disappeared and I was overflowing with Ranger induced need. Holy cow, I thought. This was finally going to happen.

And then that devil reappeared on my shoulder. I tried to ignore it but I found myself murmuring, "Ranger, no." I tried to pull away. I wanted him, but I wanted no regrets on his part in the morning. I never wanted another morning after , where I was told to repair my relationship with Morelli. I wanted this time to be the beginning of forever.

"No?" he questioned softly.

"No," I moaned. "You promised Father Rodriguez. We can't."

"We can, Babe," he whispered. And then he rolled over on top of me.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Janet Evanovich owns them all**

Thank you to every one who left a review. All comments are appreciated.

Chapter 9

Against the Wind

The room was filled with light when I awoke. I smiled, remembering. I stretched my arms above my head and wiggled my feet and felt a delicious soreness. I gingerly rolled over and felt more muscles protest. No gym for me today, I'd had my workout and it had been beyond amazing. Ranger had taken me to places I'd never been before, but I thought I'd like to visit again. He'd been in control and out of control, passionate and playful, gentle and giving. He was all of Baskin Robbins thirty one flavors, and more. I reached out to touch him, and my hand caressed his thousand thread count sheets, but there was no mocha latte, smooth as silk skin.

Ranger is an early riser, I thought, and then I chuckled at my bad pun. I'd remember to tell that one to Lula. She loved double entendres. He was probably in the shower. I listened for the sound of water running and I breathed in, but there was no wafting scent of Bulgari, no water running. A tiny knot of dread started building in my stomach. Calm down, I told myself. This isn't like last time. He won't send you back to Morelli. Get a grip, Stephanie, I told myself. Ranger could be anywhere. He could be on five in his office, or maybe he was out buying me donuts. The passion that exploded between us last night had been so intense that I thought it still echoed throughout the apartment.

But the apartment felt empty. I got out of bed slowly, my eyes taking in the evidence of the night before. Ranger's silk boxers were lying at the foot of the bed, with my camisole lying beside them. I grabbed my camisole and pulled it on. My tap pants were MIA so I found a pair of sweats in the closet and pulled them on. I stuffed my sockless feet into sneakers that were left unlaced, and on legs still unsteady from the night before I went to find Ranger.

The kitchen showed no sign of Ella's recent presence. No bagels or fresh fruit today. The only time Ella didn't bring breakfast was when Ranger was gone. The knot of dread was getting bigger twisting my gut inside out. I stood in the kitchen listening to the squeak of Rex's wheel as he got his morning workout. My breathing became shallower and quicker. Panic slammed into me as hard as if I'd walked into a wall. I ran for the bathroom dropped to my knees and hugged the toilet. When I was empty I laid on the floor letting the marble tiles cool my face.

With a sudden spurt of anger I got to my feet found my phone. I called Ranger's cell and it went straight to voice mail. I went to the credenza in the hall and saw that the silver tray was empty. The Porsche keys were gone. I picked up the tray and flung it across the hall where it bounced off an end table and shattered a vase, the shards of glass scattering across the floor. I knew it in my heart. Ranger was in the wind.

Just as suddenly as it came, my anger left, replaced by a numbing feeling of helplessness. Ranger had never lied to me. He said he would act if given the opportunity, and last night I had provided him with that opportunity. I had goaded him, not backing off even though I knew his temper was on a short fuse. I had to find him, but I didn't know where to begin. I needed a new plan. I went to his bed and lay down in my thinking position. I began to sob, tears pouring from my eyes, my body shaking.

Five minutes or an hour passed, I didn't know. What I did know was that I had to pull myself together. I was tired of feeling used and betrayed. I was tired of not having any control of my life. First things first, I had to find Ranger. I went to the bedroom pulled a Rangeman t-shirt over my head. I grabbed a tissue, blew my nose and walked down the hall stepping gingerly over the broken vase.

I rode the elevator down to the garage. The Porsche was gone. I went up to five and headed for Ranger's office. It was dark. I saw Tank sitting behind the desk in his office. I knocked lightly on his door. "Enter," he said looking surprised when he saw me. The t-shirt hung halfway to my knees and the sweatpants puddled over the top of my untied shoes. My eyes were puffy and blood shot. My hair which had been sexy and tousled the night before was scary and tangled. I wasn't at my best.

"Where's Ranger?" I asked. Again he looked surprised.

"He's gone. He went to Boston. He said he had urgent Rangeman business and would be there for a few days. I thought he'd have told you."

"No, he didn't tell me." I said. "What was the nature of his business Tank?"

Tank was looking very uncomfortable with the conversation. "I don't know. He didn't say."

"That's bullshit Tank, and we both know it! You are second in command. If there was urgent business in Boston you'd be aware of it."

Tank rubbed the top of his bald head with one very large hand. He sighed. "He didn't say what the business was and he didn't seem to be in the mood to answer questions. I just let him go." He took a long look at me. "Are you okay?"

I thought about that for a minute. "I'm semi -functional, which is a step up from half an hour ago. I don't think he can do anything worse than has been done to me, so I guess I am okay." The strange thing was that it was true. I was walking, talking and doing a darn good job of not crying, so I was…okay.

I shut the door to his office and sat in a chair facing his desk. "Tank we're going to have a talk." That wasn't quite accurate though. Mostly I talked and he listened. I told him everything that had happened when I bumped into Alexander at the restaurant as well as every detail I could remember from our meeting at The Whiplash. He listened intently interrupting to ask an occasional question. He laughed out loud when I told him about Joyce, and I laughed with him. Whoever would have imagined that I would be sitting in Tank's office confiding in him and finding him to be sympathetic? The more I talked the calmer I felt. A plan was starting to form. I did not tell Tank that Ranger had left me alone in the apartment all evening with a guard outside my door. I figured he already knew that. We talked about Morelli and what he had done at The Whiplash. I told him how angry I was that Ranger hadn't shared the information about the contract on Alexander. I didn't tell him what had happened between Ranger and me. I figured he already knew that. Either Ranger's early morning departure or my befuddled state was proof of that.

I stood to leave and Tank came from around his desk to give me a big bear hug. "Lula's a lucky girl," I told him. I turned back again before I exited the door remembering one more thing. "There is no reason for Ranger and me to continue this marriage. He may be off working on ending it now. I'll probably be leaving seven within the next day or so."

"Let me know, and I'll have someone help you move your stuff back." He hesitated and then said, "I don't think Ranger is expecting you to be out anytime soon. He didn't say anything to me." Tank and I would have to disagree on that point. I went back up to seven to take a shower and get ready to face the day. I was going to visit Morelli.

I called Joe and made plans to meet him at Pino's for lunch. I made good use of the rest of the morning by visiting the bonds office and my mom. I was tired of being a victim and I was bound and determined to change my life. If I had to ask for help from a friend then Morelli was the friend I was choosing. He had been an important part of my life since childhood, and I knew he would help me. The last thing I did before I went to Pino's was the hardest. I went to the bank, pulled the platinum card that said Stephanie Manoso out of my wallet and took a five thousand dollar cash advance on the card. I went to Pino's to tell Joe my plan.

Morelli was in a booth when I got there. He stood as I slid my ass in the seat across from him. He looked good, and even better than good he looked comfortably familiar.

"Looking a little ragged today, Cupcake. You've got dark circles under your eyes. Are you okay?"

I shook my head no as much to my horror a fat tear plopped onto my cheek. I wiped it away and took some slow deep breaths trying to keep anything else from leaking. "I need your help Joe. I've been unhappy with my life for a while now, and I've been thinking about making some changes. I don't want to be a BEA forever but I don't have any other direction. I need to get away for a while and I think you can help me."

"Shit, Cupcake. I knew he'd hurt you."

"He didn't hurt me, Joe. I hurt me." I sighed. "I've made a mess of things and I need to change my locale for a while, to be really on my own. I won't stay away forever, just a couple of months. Will you help me?" I proceeded to tell Joe my plan. As we got up from the booth he gave me a hug and then he kissed me on the forehead. I thought my mom had already received phone calls telling her that Joe and I were making out in Pino's. Yet another reason I needed a few Burg free weeks.

"Joe, one more thing," I said as we stood on the sidewalk in front of Pino's. "Ranger told me that you saw me at The Whiplash yesterday. I know what you did for me. Thanks for calling him." Joe looked stunned. This was the first time I had ever thanked him for essentially keeping me out of the loop, but I thought I owed him the thanks.

Joe reached out and stroked my cheek softly and said, "Anytime, Cupcake," and he walked away.

I went to my apartment next. It had been less than two weeks since Ranger brought me supper and changed my life. It felt like years. The apartment had been stripped of all my personal stuff but it would soon be on its way back from Haywood. I sat on the floor in the middle of the living room and gave in to the tears that had been threatening ever since I left seven. When I had no more tears and my eyes were practically swollen shut I decided to quit wasting emotion over Ranger. He apparently wasn't wasting any over me. It was time to put some distance between me and batman. I found Dillon and paid him three months rent in advance. I left him some money to pay the utilities for me and walked out without looking back.

Haywood was next on the list. I parked in the garage and walked the stairs to five. That would give the guys on the monitors something to talk about. I found a big manila envelope and some Rangeman letterhead and took the stairs up to seven. I fobbed my way into the apartment. It was still empty. I sat at the kitchen counter and began to write.

_Ranger, _

_I am going away. I'm leaving your Rangeman trackers here, but I know you can find me. P lease don't try. I've talked to family and friends and made plans. I won't be gone forever, maybe two or three months. I just need some time by myself to figure out what I really want. I've helped myself to my Stephanie Manoso credit card. I will pay you back._

_You've been honest from the beginning that your life doesn't lend itself to relationships. My head knows this, but I forgot to tell my heart. I know you care for me, in your own way, but I think I need for you care for me in my way. _

_Please talk to Father Rodriguez about an annulment. If that's no longer possible, divorce me. _

_I am my own worst enemy for thinking what I wanted would come to pass. You said that your kind of love came with a condom and not a ring. Last night it came with a ring on my finger but no condom….No matter what happens I can't regret any part of our lovemaking. When I come back I hope you can find it in your heart to continue a friendship with me. Life wouldn't be the same without Batman. _

_Stephanie. _

I put the letter in the envelope and stuffed my Rangeman issued cell phone and the key fob to his apartment inside as well, sealing it before I could change my mind. I went into the bedroom to find the sheets still wrinkled with evidence of our night of lovemaking. Ella hadn't been in yet. I set the envelope on top of the unmade bed and pulled the diamond ring from my finger. I placed it on the envelope and hoped that Ella would leave it that way for Ranger to find.

I picked up a pillow and held it against my face. I could smell Bulgari and sex, and the memory of the night before slammed into me with such force that my knees almost buckled. It's said that time heals all wounds, so maybe in a couple of months I would be the strong independent woman I wanted to be, but all I could think of was that he was gone and I still wanted him, the rat bastard!

I picked up Rex's cage and went to find Tank to update him and make arrangements for my stuff to be moved.

Tomorrow, I thought, was the first day of the rest of my life.


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER: They all belong to Janet Evanovich—Except Jack—he's mine**

Thank you for all the reviews.

Chapter 10

Vegas Vacation?

My hair loves Las Vegas. In the six months since I'd left Trenton my hair had never looked better. The frizz was gone and most days it settled in to soft, face framing curls which cascaded over my shoulders. I had been wearing it loose much more often, but I thought today was a pony tail day. The temperature was projected to be over a hundred, and dry low humidity desert weather notwithstanding, it was going to be a scorcher.

My job was going well and I had money in the bank. Enough money, in fact, to pay Ranger back for the cash advance I had taken. My original plan was to be back in Trenton by now, but I kept putting it off. I missed my family, and friends. Surprisingly I missed my job, which was still waiting for me. I had talked to Connie recently and she told me not a lot of people were lining up to work for Vinnie. In my absence Lula was bringing in some minor skips, and Rangeman was picking up the rest. That bit of information was as close as I'd come to hearing anything about Ranger. I'd also called my mom twice. No one asked where I was which led me to believe that they knew. Anyone with a computer could have found me because I hadn't taken any extra ordinary pains to hide my trail. Joe knew for sure where I was because he was the one who helped get me here. Joe also knew how serious I was about putting some distance between me and my old life. I was certain he had kept my confidence. Everyone was giving me space. I guess I must have been pretty convincing the day I told family and friends that I needed time and geography from my life in Trenton.

Ranger or his men hadn't shown up either. I didn't really expect Ranger but I thought there might be an occasional Merry Man sighting. It wasn't like Ranger to give up total control. On my best days I was gratified that he was respecting my request. On my worst days I figured I was like a pesky fly he had finally shooed out the window.

When I'd asked Joe to help with my plan he did so without hesitation. I knew he had a good Navy buddy who worked in security in Las Vegas. Joe called Frankie White and told him he had a friend looking for work in Las Vegas. Within a week I had a job and an efficiency apartment two blocks and a world away from The Strip. My POS Buick had made the trip from Trenton and was still running good. I'd had a car for over six months that was still in one piece. That alone made the trip financially successful. I worked for Frankie's security company. He contracted with several minor casinos to provide undercover personnel. I was kind of like a secret shopper. Every day I posed as a tourist and spent time in the casinos. Sometimes I was assigned to watch a particular person. Often I was just watching to be alert for any signs of trouble. Each casino had their own security to watch for gambling fraud. My job was much simpler. I looked for pickpockets, or for people 'accidentally' picking up the purse of an unsuspecting slot machine player. If I caught someone acting suspicious I just pulled out my cell and called Casino security. That way my cover was never compromised. And the buffets were great. Most of them had a whole bar of desserts.

I'd made some friends, but mostly I stayed to myself. I hadn't planned on being gone this long and I knew I would be going home soon. The fourth month I was here I sent Dillon more rent money. The fifth month I started thinking seriously about going home and the sixth month I started planning to go back home.

I was manless and I was tolerating it pretty well. I thought that I could face Ranger with my head held high and consider him just as a friend. Ranger was damaged, by his own admission, and I had been thinking a lot about that. I realized it was okay for me to love him and not be with him and our lack of relationship wasn't my fault. Really! It was his. The more I thought about his claim that he could ruin me for all other men the more I worried that it might be true. Our last night of lovemaking had seen us both reach places we'd never been before. If he'd ruined me I took a small amount of comfort in knowing I left a big impression on him. Stephanie Plum was going to be a tough act to follow, relationship or not.

I looked at the clock and gave myself a mental head slap. It was time to quit daydreaming and get out the door to work. Las Vegas was a twenty- four hour a day, seven day a week party. Sometimes I worked evenings or nights, and I had a place in the weekend rotation. Today I was working with a new employee. The fact that I was now able to train someone else might be an indicator that I'd been here too long. The old Stephanie that rolled in garbage and had cars explode on a regular basis didn't exist out here. I was turning out to be a calm, efficient employee, and that same dumb luck that helped me with my skip tracing frequently helped me in my new job.

I was meeting Jack Bridges in the lounge at the High Roller Casino. I didn't know what to expect so I told him to look for me. In deference to the heat I wore a bright blue tank top with a pair of white walking shorts. Except for the bright orange poppy tucked into my hair over my left ear, I looked like any other eager gambler. I was half way through my Shirley Temple when I noticed a man standing at the door looking from lounge patron to patron. When he saw me he raised a hand in acknowledgement and smiled as he started my way. He was tall, about six-three, and he was built like a brick house. He was wearing lose fitting jeans and running shoes, and a black t-shirt that I was betting money covered six pack abs. The closer he got I thought maybe 12 pack abs. He had light brown hair and eyes that were electric blue. He was gorgeous.

"Stephanie?" he questioned as slipped onto the stool next to mine.

I smiled "Jack, I'm guessing"

"Nice to meet to you, Stephanie. That's a great flower. I couldn't miss it. Frankie said you would take me under your wing for the day and I'd be ready to solo by tomorrow."

"Wow", I said. "Frankie must think you're good. Either that or that I'm a great trainer. He didn't let me go out alone for a week."

"Well, I'm new to this job but I have had some previous surveillance experience that will help me." Jack said.

I blew a bubble with the now Shirley Temple flavored gum I was chewing. We were supposed to look like average casino patrons and I thought we could take a little time for conversation to get to know one another before we started our rounds of the casino floor. "I was a Bond Enforcement Agent before I started this gig. What kind of experience do you have Jack?"

"Army." He said. "Special forces. I was a Ranger." I swallowed my gum.

"I'm working here for a while to reacclimate to civilian life," he continued. "I have a little money saved and I hope to eventually own my own business. I might get a PI license or even own my own security firm."

I hoped off the bar stool and grabbed him arm. "C'mon. Let's take a stroll down by the food court and see if we can spot any one up to no good." We ambled through the casino to the food court and I took the time to explain different aspects of the job. He was a few years younger than me and full of ambition. He seemed like a nice guy and we fell into an almost instant camaraderie. I hadn't been so close to a specimen of his caliber in a long time. I should have been sneaking glances at his ass, hyperventilating at his nearness, accidentally bumping into him. I should have been flirting. But there was no zing. Dang that Ranger. Had he ruined me for all other men?

Jack apparently had another explanation for the platonic friendship that bloomed immediately between us.

"How long have you been married, and what does your husband think of this line of work?" he asked.

If I'd had more gum, I'd have swallowed it. "M-married," I stammered. I'm not married. Why would you say that?" I knew I wasn't married. I didn't know if I was divorced or annulled, but I knew I wasn't married.

Jack touched the poppy in my hair. "Your flower is over your left ear, near your heart. That's to tell the world you're taken. Married. Off the market."

I pulled the flower out of my hair. "Sorry, my mistake," I said a little breathlessly. "I'm very much unmarried. I couldn't be more single."

Jack took the flower and slid it back in my hair this time over my right ear. "There," he said. "Right ear means available. Now we have truth in advertising." We both laughed. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful with only one purse snatching event. Jack instinctively wanted to run and apprehend the robber, but our job was just to call casino security and turn it over to them. I wondered how long he'd be content in his lesser role. We were about to part company for the day when I felt Jack tense by my side. I looked up to see him staring intently at a man and woman standing a at craps table. They were laughing and enjoying each other's company.

"What?" I asked.

"I just saw that guy put something in the woman's drink." We both stood frozen as she took a big gulp of a fruity cocktail.

What do you mean something?" I asked. "Like a date rape drug?"

"That's what I'm thinking." His eyes remained focused on the couple. I flipped my phone open and made the call. We would stay put until there was Casino security in the area to take over the watch. Within a minute the woman was having trouble standing. Her knees buckled and her friend put his arm around her. He apologized to the table patrons saying that she'd had too much to drink. He scooped up their collective chips and put them into his pocket and began to help her unsteadily walk away. I looked around and saw no one coming to her rescue. Our rules were to report and not get involved, but the rules were flying out of the window. Jack and I looked at each other and started to run.

Jack reached the man first and said, "Excuse me sir, I'll be happy to help the lady."

That's not necessary," he responded curtly. "My wife has had too much to drink. I'm taking her home."

I came up beside him. "You'll need to step away from the lady, sir. We saw you drug her drink." The man let go of the woman and she crumpled. Jack caught her and was laying her to the floor when her attacker took off running.

"Well shit!" I took off running and took a flying leap landing on his back and bringing him down with a thunk. I laid on top of him trying to catch my breath. I saw a pair of black shiny cop shoes walk up and stop short of my nose. Security was here, and our job was done.

I got up and brushed myself off. Whattdaya know? I tackled someone and managed come up relatively clean. No garbage stuck to my clothes, no food in my hair. Dang, I was a little homesick.

Jack came up and gave me a hug. We were both having a little adrenaline rush. "Nice stop," he said. "What a way to end my first day. We should celebrate Stephanie. Will you let me treat you to dinner and show?" I thought for a moment. I'd been in Las Vegas six months, keeping a low profile and doing a lot of soul searching. Maybe tonight was a night for fun.

"I'd love to." I gave him my address. "Pick me up at eight and we'll do the town."

Jack picked me up right on time and we decided to walk the two blocks to the strip. I was excited and in the mood for a little fun. It literally had been months since I'd had an excuse to dress up. My Vegas wardrobe was limited to mostly work clothes and there had been no time to shop. The only appropriate outfit I had was the black dress and purple FMPs I had worn on the night that Ranger had taken me out and morphed into Carlos. I put the dress on and realized I had morphed as well. I was stronger and really ready to move on with my life. My feelings for Ranger were still there as intense as ever, but I knew I could live without him in my life. He'd given me no choice and I'd learned to survive on my own. So I put on my big girl thong and purple shoes and went forward into the night.

We had dinner and went dancing and spent a long time talking. Jack was inordinately good looking and I noticed other women looking at him coming and going. I felt comfortable in his presence, maybe too comfortable. I was looking for something a little more exciting than the friendship we were developing. As we walked home I was debating the pros and cons of asking him in. As stood on my step unlocking my door Jack stood close behind me. He reached a hand to encircle my waist and I felt a tingle along my spine. I looked over my shoulder and he smiled at me. I made an instant decision to pursue that tingle.

I took his hand and pulled him into my tiny apartment. My heels slipped on the tile floor and I fell against him. His arms went around me. He leaned down and touched his lips to mine and I went in search of that jolt of electricity. I opened my mouth and made way for his tongue. He deepened the kiss and I allowed it, waiting for the zing. It didn't come. I was confused. The tingle that ran the length of my spine had never been wrong before. I pulled back slightly and smiled up at him. He bent his head and nuzzled the base of my neck. It was nice but where was that skittering of electricity? Why weren't my toes curling?

Jack's arms tightened and he pulled me closer. "Jack, let's slow it down a little," I said. "Come in and sit down and I'll get us something to drink." I reached out and flipped the switch on the wall illuminating the room with soft light. Jack and I saw the man sitting with legs extended, his forearms resting on the chair arms, fingers steepled, at the same time. He was motionless, his gaze unwaveringly on me.

Jack stepped forward. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

"I'm her husband. Who the hell are you?"


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER: They all belong to Janet Evanovich, except Jack. He's mine.**

Chapter 11

There's Got To Be A Morning After

"C-Captain Manoso?" Jack stammered. I heard his indrawn breath and noted his straightening posture. At Jack's question Ranger's eyes left me and turned to Jack.

"Bridges!" he exclaimed. I looked at Jack. He was standing at attention. It was hard to say which man was more astonished. I, myself, was astonished. Of all the men in Las Vegas I picked someone known to Ranger to try my re-entry into the world of dating.

"Captain Manoso," Jack repeated, this time more forcefully. "I had no idea. Stephanie said she was single. Her name is Plum not Manoso." He looked at me accusingly and I knew that he was remembering our conversation earlier in the day about the flower over my left ear.

"I'll leave you two alone," Jack said as he turned and walked out the door. I kicked my shoes off and ran after him.

"Jack wait. I am single. I can explain. Really, I am not married!" I made it to the door when Ranger's arm went around my waist and pulled me back slamming the door.

I turned on him kicking and swinging trying to connect with some part of him that would cause pain. I did. My foot connected with his leg and I felt searing pain in my toes. He effortlessly held my arms at my sides. I struggled to get away from him, but he held me tightly, I twisted and turned, my body rubbing against his and suddenly the electricity was back. Big enough to light neon sign on the Strip. I moaned.

"Ranger, please. Let me go." He did, so abruptly that I almost fell. I regained my balance and stepped back to look at him. He was dressed casually in a black silk t-shirt and black slacks. His hair had been cut short and it was mussed as though he'd been running his hands through it. There was no evidence of a gun or a knife but he looked just as darkly dangerous as he did in full SWAT mode.

"What are you doing here Ranger? Your timing stinks. You ruined the first opportunity I've had for an orgasm in months. And how do you know Jack? And how did you get in here?" The last question was a no brainer. I don't think the locked door exists that Ranger can't mysteriously slide through.

"And why," I paused for breath and for effect, "Did you choose to show up now?" That orgasm thing wasn't quite true. The whole reason I asked Jack in was because of that little skittering of electricity up my spine and now I knew Jack hadn't been the cause of it, but I wasn't going to share that with Ranger. I had wanted my next meeting with Ranger to be on my terms. I had fantasized about a carefully planned accidental meeting when I got home. My emotions would be under control and our friendship would be re-established and Ranger would never know the hell he'd put me through. And most importantly my pride would be intact. That scenario was rapidly flying out the window.

Nothing ever turns out as I had planned. Instead of presenting myself as cool and calm, I was in an uproar. My first attempt at restarting a personal life had been witnessed by the very man who had caused me to run away from my old personal life.

"I've got some questions for you too, Babe," Ranger said reaching out to touch my arm. "Like how do you know Bridges? It didn't take you long to get involved with someone else." His tone was harsh. I pulled away from him and put as much distance as I could between us in the small room. I looked carefully at him. This was no blank faced Ranger. His eyes were narrowed and his mouth was a taut slash across his face. He was acting jealous!

"You have forfeited any right you ever had to question me about my personal life Ranger." I flopped on the sofa drawing my legs up under my ass. My skirt rose dangerously up my thighs. I saw Ranger's gaze redirect itself from my face. With a sigh he dropped back into the chair his head lowered into his hands.

"Babe."

"What are you doing here, Ranger?" My voice seemed surprisingly normal and I was starting to regain control of my ping ponging emotions. "Why did you pick this night to show up? Couldn't you have given me the space I asked for? I thought you would honor my request not to search for me."

"I didn't search for you, Stephanie." Ranger lifted his head and stared blankly across the room. "When I came back and found you gone I decided to honor your wishes. I didn't look for you. Two months passed, then three and still no word from you. Tank told me that it was payback for all the times my business took me away from you. I was worried but I got no sympathy from him. I went to Morelli to see if he'd heard from you."

Ranger went to Joe to ask about me. That was something that would have been hard for Ranger to do. Ranger had known Morelli longer than he'd known me, and while they would never have considered themselves friends they had a certain amount of respect for each other in some weird alpha male sort of way. That respect went south on Joe's part when he learned of Ranger's interest in me. I felt a little glimmer of hope that Ranger would do something so contrary to his nature just because I asked him not to use Rangeman to search for me.

All this was swirling in my head but what came out of my mouth was, "Morelli ratted me out!"

"Morelli didn't 'rat you out.'" Ranger said. "I told him I was worried because you said you'd be gone a couple of months and it's been six. He was worried too. He said that he hadn't heard from you but he knew where you were. I could have just as easily used Rangeman to search for you but you asked me not to. He told me to come find you, and make sure you were okay."

"You came out here because Morelli told you to?" I asked incredulously.

"I came out here because I had to Babe," he said as he turned his gaze back to me.

"What's your relationship with Bridges?" Ranger asked abruptly. There was that word I hated to hear coming out of Ranger's mouth.

I have no relationship with him," I said. "I met him this morning. I'm training him and when he's fully trained I am planning on quitting and coming home." I looked down at my hands tightly clasped in my lap. "He told me he was Special Forces in the Army but in my wildest dreams I never thought he'd know you. He seemed like a nice guy so when he asked me to dinner I said yes. I haven't been out the entire time I've been here."

"I was his commander for a short time. He was good soldier. When I saw him kissing you I wanted to kill him."

My head snapped up and I stared at Ranger. He'd spoken with a controlled anger, his words clipped. I knew he was serious, and it made me angry. It made it sound like he cared about me. But would someone who cared about me make love to me all night long and then leave in the morning without a backward glance,… twice? I thought it was time to get some straight answers out of Ranger.

I took in a deep breath and gathered my courage. I had already lost everything important to me and I had just spent the last six months figuring out how to live my life without him as my lover. I spoke softly, but with no hesitation. "When you left after our night of lovemaking you almost broke me. I was hurting so badly that I knew that I had to leave Trenton to get my head back on straight. I went to Joe because I thought he would help me and he did. He got this job for me. I took money from you, but I have it to give back."

Ranger crossed the room to sit beside me. He raised a hand touching my lips to stop my explanation. "Babe." His voice was soft and his eyes looked suspiciously moist. I took his hand with mine holding it in my lap.

"Let me finish this before I lose my nerve," I said. "I have given this so much thought these last few months. I love you. I'm not ashamed to tell you that. But I can't have you in my life as a lover. You would destroy me. You say that your life doesn't lend itself to relationships. Well mine does, and someday I may find someone who will be right for me. Right now I'm not looking because I still want what I can't have. Maybe we can work on building a friendship, because I've missed you every day I've been gone. But I can't risk letting you use me and throw me away again. So what do want from me Ranger? Why are you really here? And why did you say you were my husband. Surely there is no more threat from the Ramos family. Was there trouble with the annulment?"

"Babe, I've done some thinking these last six months as well. I have told you many times that my life doesn't lend itself to relationships. I've never said that I didn't want a relationship. I've made so many enemies that I felt it would be unfair and dangerous to anyone I was with. Your life has been in danger twice lately because of me. You would never have come into contact with the Ramos brothers if it wasn't for me. Tank pointed out to me that not being with you wasn't keeping you safe. He called me a coward, and he was right. He said if I really wanted to keep you safe I should pull my head out of my ass and do the right thing."

"A coward?" I asked. "Tank's a brave man. Not many people would have the guts to call you a coward."

"Tank is my brother. He cares about me and he cares about you too Stephanie. He called me the day you left and told me to get back to Trenton and start fixing things. And that's what I did Babe. I fixed things and waited for you to come back, but you didn't come so I had to come get you.

"Ranger, I told you no. I said we couldn't make love, and you said we could. And we did. What happened that night was way beyond physical and you know it. When I woke up to find you gone I was destroyed. I had to turn to your 'brother' and my ex-lover for help. And they did help me. I wouldn't have made it without Morelli and Tank. Why did you leave me?"

Ranger lifted a hand to caress my cheek. I felt a tremor in his hand. "I knew from the moment you chose to help me when I was being set up for Homer's murder that something was building between us. When we made love the first time at your apartment I thought one night with you would be enough. I thought I could get you out of my system and send you back to Morelli and you'd be safe from me and my enemies. But it didn't work out that way. I bragged to you once that I could ruin you for all other men. I wanted you like I'd never wanted anyone and I was a fool to think one night would be enough. After I'd made love to you I knew there would never be anyone else for me."

My heart was beating erratically. Was he saying what I think he was saying? "Then why did you leave, Ranger?"

Ranger ran a hand through his hair and got up from the sofa. He began pacing the length of my small room. Who was this nervous, gorgeous, out of control man? "Every day I wanted you more and more and every day I was slapped down with the fact that my life had no room for you in it. There were factors I could not control that would have made it dangerous for you and me to be together. When we got married to keep you safe it was torture for me to be so near you. On our last night together I lost all control. I wanted you so badly that I put my need for you before your safety. Tank is right I was a coward. I couldn't face you the next morning and tell you there was nothing more for us. I left so I wouldn't be faced with hurting you"

Ranger had said more to me this evening that he had said in the whole time we'd known each other. It seemed if the dam had finally broken and words were streaming out. Each word was precious to me. I still didn't have a clear idea of where our conversation was leading us, but there was a building joy in the fact that he was with me and we were talking.

"When I came back I knew I had to try and repair what I had destroyed," he continued. "I went to see Father Rodriguez, and I told him there would be no annulment. And then I went to my family and told them the entire story of our engagement and marriage." Ranger came back and sat beside me. He took my hands in his. "I told them I was coming to ask you to give me a chance to make our marriage a real one. "

I started to cry. Not quiet little tears, but big fat ones. "Are you asking me to marry you?" I asked sniffing and wiping tears away with the back of my hand.

"Babe." Ranger leaned forward and kissed the tears off my cheeks. "I am asking you to spend the rest of your life with me. My grandma gave me this." He held out a gold band. "My grandfather put this ring on her finger before they left Cuba. She told me not to come back until this ring was on your finger."

I held out my hand and he slipped the ring on my finger with a trembling hand. I looked up to see tears in his eyes. We came together with passion and urgency. We had waited so long to have a life together and it was time for that life to begin.

I stood pulling Ranger to his feet. Our mouths met and we moved as one across the small apartment toward the bedroom. I was in a frenzy of need. I began pulling his t-shirt from the waistband of his pants. I wanted my hands on his skin. I wanted his hands on my skin. And then I felt Ranger pulling back.

"Babe, we can't," he whispered in my ear.

"We can't?" I asked, my voice low and raspy with passion.

"Not yet." He tugged at me pulling me back into the living room. "There's something else."

I groaned. Hadn't we talked enough for one night. Surely anything else could wait for the morning. I knew he'd be here when the next day dawned. Ranger walked to the sofa and picked up a white box from the end table. Wordlessly he handed it to me. I opened the box. Nestled inside were two pieces of wedding cake. I gave him the full two hundred watt smile.

The End

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and offered suggestions for this story. This was my first attempt at fan fiction and it has been so much fun. I appreciated all comments and will gladly accept any constructive criticism.**


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